A Second Chance
by Lizzy85cec
Summary: Someone new comes into the hectic business life of Angel at Wolfram and Hart, offering the promise of the happy life he always wanted.  Please, please, please... read and review! Angel & Other Pairing.
1. Chapter 1

First of all, I'd like to say that the paring I love most is Angel & Buffy. That said... this story just kind of came at me with the thought that may be **one** of _us_ :) in my imaginary world could be a posibility for a different life that Angel could have with someone else. As always... I don't own Joss's characters.

Set sometime during Angel taking over Wolfram & Hart. Angel O'Connor, the CEO of the LA offices, being his full name. Using Ilona Costa Bianchi, the CEO of the Roman offices of Wolfram & Hart, and introducing her niece... my own creation of a character... Isis Elizabeth Callahan, Head of Special Operations Division. Oh and I'm not Italian so excuse my poor use of their language, I just wanted to add it make it more real and fun.

* * *

Angel was dreaming… he was walking somewhere in the desert. It was dusk, and the only thing that could be seen was a star shinning bright that seemed to call at him. He followed its direction aimlessly; suddenly… it seemed to come straight at him, and then stopped right before him…

A female's voice came from the shining ball of energy floating, "Warrior…" it called to him.

"Who are you? What… are you? Where am I?" He asked confused.

"You're asking the wrong questions?" the voice said.

"Really… well then what are the right questions?"

"You know what they are…" the voice continued.

"Look… I'm not for riddles, if you have something to tell me then say it…"

"For now…" the voice began, "all you need to know is that you've lived many lifetimes. More than any being is allowed… therefore, this century… will bring the opportunity for change, for choices, for loves, or destiny; bringing the possibility for a second chance at life with a soul mate." The voice whispered.

"What exactly does that mean…?" he questioned with hope.

"Be ready…" and with that… the star disappeared into thin air.

He woke puzzled, but pushed it aside and began his daily routine for work.

Wolfram & Hart, Rome Branch

Phone Rings.

"Special Projects Division, Elizabeth Callahan speaking…" answered Liza professionally.

"Isis amore… It's Ilona..."

"Of course it is… you're the only one that still calls me that," she smiled "I go by Liza now… Anyway, I'm surprised to hear from you. Wait… do you have bad news? It seems to be the only time we get to talk now."

Ilona laughed, "True cara mia, but not the case this time I have good news, was wondering if you can come to my ufficio or would you prefer to catch lunch later if it's comodo."

"Actually… now's a good time, I need a break anyway, be in your office in ten?"

"Sounds grande, no need to knock, just entrare when you're here, va vene?"

"Sounds good, ciao…"

"Ciao Tesoro."

Elizabeth went to go get updates from her staff down the hall past huge glass doors. They were all gathered around a big oval table looking at the floor plans for tonight.

"Hey guys, how are we doing, are we set for tonight?" She'd walked into a great room where sound proof windows controlled the noise commotion everywhere, there were separate sections for projects of weapons being tested, magic experiments being run, plans for new jobs and contracts, new recruits being trained, and demons being interviewed; you could hardly concentrate on the floor with all the chattering.

Her assistant Alessandro came up to her, "Yes Ms. Callahan, we have structured all possible scenarios for any security breach of tonight's Gala."

"Good," she smiled "okay well I'll be in a meeting with Ms. Bianchi on the top floor, shouldn't be long, but shall you need me, you know where to find me, I have my phone."

Alessandro answered "No worries, we'll be here."

She turned to walk and he just stared dazed after her. She'd been working for Wolfram & Hart three years now and three years, he had been in love with her but hadn't had it in him to tell her. Working by her side was enough to him though, at least for now.

Elizabeth took the elevator to her aunt's office, as the elevator moved up to the top floor, a smile spread across her face. She remembered how Alessandro always so sweet gave her that meaningful look you give someone you desire, she'd been glad that he had never professed his feelings because she didn't want to break his heart. A man romantically in her life was something she did not want, her career being what is most important.

The elevator stopped and she walked towards Ilona's office. She waved and smiled politely to those walking by, she always felt uncomfortable on this floor, to her, it felt like people didn't necessarily genuinely like her since she was the boss's niece. She came to a stop in front of her door, turned the door handle slowly and walked in.

"Isis! tesoro…" said Ilona excitedly, she got up from her desk to greet her with a kiss on each cheek.

"Zia Ilo…" Liza said equally excited and returned her affection "…feels like forever and we work in the same building." They laughed.

"I know, I know, the senior partners are always keeping me busy," Ilona gestured her to a seat as she took the one across from her , "allora, before we get down to why you're here, let's talk business… the plans for tonight's Gala, everything ready?"

"Of course…"smiled Liza triumphantly, "I went to go double check on that before I came to see you." She always felt the need to please her aunt so she'd be proud of her.

"Fantastico… I love that you're always on top of everything and I'm not just saying that because you're my niece." She added with a wink.

"Grazie…" she smiled shyly.

"By the way are you going to the Gala tonight?"

"I don't know aunt Ilo, you know I'm not much for the events, and Alessandro can manage without me."

Ilona gave her the disapproval look, but moved on. "Well… onto why asked you to come see me…" her expression turning serious, "I know that since the loss of your parents you have wanted to move away, but for some reason or another it hasn't been possible…"

Liza looked down at the remembrance of those sad memories of her parent's death, and then looked back up for her aunt's point. "…and from time to time you ask me if there are any job openings elsewhere, as if trying to find a reason to help push you out from Rome."

She continued to stare and listened intently, "well… there's been a job opening and if you're interested… the job's yours, the Wolfram & Hart branch of LA is looking to hire a Head of Special Projects and they need this person to start immediately." Ilona finished contently.

Liza gaped wide eyed "Really? Los Angeles?" she said shocked.

"That's right, what do you think? I know its short notice and usually I would say, sleep on it, but I was hoping to announce your promotion at the Gala tonight. Not to mention they want you to start Monday." Ilona went on, "So…"

"Wow that soon, but today's Friday!"

"I know…but I just heard and the only reason the position is being held open for your answer, is because the CEO from LA offered it to me personally remembering that I'd asked if he could hire someone for me."

"Yes… I'll do it." Liza said in a rush.

"Great… I'll call Angel and tell him you'll be on a plane first thing Sunday, and you'll need to be at the Gala tonight." Ilona said pleased.

"Angel? Angel O'Connor? Oh…okay…but…isn't he…"

"Yes Angel vampire with a soul Angel, he will be your boss and no, no doubts now go finish up in your office and I'll see you tonight 8 o'clock sharp. I'll send the limo to pick you up."

"But my work, my staff, my…"

"Don't worry, we'll probably leave Alessandro in charge since he's been your right hand and I'll have our services pack your apartment stuff and office files. They'll be there before you arrive, trust me." Ilona got up and gave Liza a tight hug.

"Wow…" sighed Liza.

"You're going to do grande, now go because I have a bunch of calls to make to be ready for tonight and your move."

Liza left the office in a daze, she wasn't sure that the entire fact that she had just agreed to move half way across the world had hit her. But in her mind, this much was true, she was as alone here as she would be there. The difference, she was going to be able to stop going around every corner without everything reminding her of her mother and father. She sighed and headed back for her office, she needed to start organizing what she was going to take and make sure she left things organized for Alessandro to take over.

Wolfram & Hart's Annual Gala Event

The limo pulled up to the curve by the main entrance, she hated attending events were media was involved for publicity, all this to promote the company being viewed as good and charitable business.

The door opened and a man in a tux approached the door and a white gloved hand was put in front of her to help her out of the limo. She placed her hand in his as she stepped out. She was wearing a strapless, pale-gold, long dress, made out of silk material that hugged every curve of her body. It loosened in a mermaid train at the knees; she wore gold, laced sandal shoes that could only be seen when she walked. Her reddish brown hair fell in waves of curls on her shoulders, and she was accessorized minimally with a family heirloom necklace and ring.

Suddenly she heard a man's voice ask, "May I be your escort tonight Ms. Callahan?"

Caught by surprise as she recognized the man's voice she hesitated, "Um... sure... I mean... yes, grazie Alessandro." She began to figure it's the last night she may spend with him at work so what could be the harm.

He smiled pleased with himself as they headed up the stairs to the main entrance together.

The photographers were snapping shots of everyone arriving and those that walked by, they called out…

"Ms Callahan…"

"Ms. Callahan…"

"Here…"

"Here… this way…"

"Could you pose this way…"

"Face this side, Ms. Callahan, Ms. Callahan...!" She turned, posed, and smiled; just as her aunt always told her she must do when coming to these kinds of events, but then again… her aunt loved the attention.

They finally reached the door and were greeted by the elegant ambience that this Gala brought every year. She was just beginning to take in all the beauty of it when her aunt interrupted.

"Tesoro Isis…" she waved from a distance approaching.

She waved back, "Zia Ilo… please! … At least call me Liza in front of everyone else…"

Ilo laughed, "Scusa mi… old habits die hard, who's your… oh dear is that you Alessandro?" She stared at the man accompanying her.

"Why… yes Ms. Bianchi, do I look that different from my work attire?" he joked.

"No… no… it's just, you look amazing…" she flirted.

"Grazie Ms. Bianchi, at least someone noticed…" he stared at Elizabeth.

"Oh… Alessandro, I'm sorry I'm not much to pay attention… I mean… I hadn't… you look…" she blushed.

"It's ok Ms. Callahan, I was just teasing…" they all laughed. "But I do have to say that you look stunning…"

Elizabeth took a look at her gown, "Grazie Alessandro…"

"We have good genes…" chimed Ilona smiling.

"Well can I get you some drinks ladies?" Alessandro offered.

"Champagne for the both of us, grazie Alessandro" Ilona answered.

"Scussi moi…" he vowed to them to excuse himself.

Once out of ear shot, Ilona inquired, "What have you given to that boy that you have him hypnotized?"

Liza smiled shyly, "Nothing aunt Ilo, but he has always been very caring of me, I don't think that I've let him on but…"

Ilona noticed Alessandro getting back with drinks, "We'll have to talk boys later; we have to make the rounds anyway, there are some people I want you to meet."

"Signore…" he handed them the drinks, they smiled their thanks. "To a grande successful Gala. Salute!" He raised his glass.

Ilo and Liza raised their glass to his, "Salute!"

"Salute!" They drank their champagne.

"Alessandro, if you don't mind I'm going to have to steal my niece away for business…"

"Of course not… gotta make the rounds I assume?"

"You know events are business…" she answered and led Liza away into the crowd.

Great, thought Liza, just her favorite thing… to socialize with a bunch of strange people that pretended to be good when they weren't. They walked around greeting people, making small talk, having conversation about work and meetings, and then suddenly she spotted two gentlemen staring at her whispering to each other. One was tall, lean, but muscular, dark skinned toned with a gorgeous smile. The other one was medium sized, not built but not skinny, attractive, with beautiful green colored eyes.

Ilona noticed, "Ah… fantastico they're here…"

"They who?" Liza questioned.

"Angel couldn't come to escort you back to LA himself, so he sent two of his most trusted and personal friends to accompany you…"

"Escort me? I don't need…"

"You didn't think I was just going to let you travel alone, did you?" She waved them to come over.

"Aren't you…"

"I won't be able to, but I will visit as soon as I can… to view your new home and office it will be amazing…" the gentlemen were approaching smiling at them.

"Mr. Gunn, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, this is Ms. Elizabeth Callahan, my niece."

Liza smiled politely and extended her hand in greeting, while giving them a kiss on the cheek, "Pleasure to meet you gentlemen, you can call me Liza or Elizabeth, Ms. Callahan among friends sounds too proper."

Gunn and Wesley stared bedazzled by this young, beautiful woman before them, "Gunn… call me Gunn, mister makes me feel old, and the pleasure is all mine." He shook her hand and retuned the greeting.

"Ours…" Wesley added shaking her hand as well, "and please call me Wesley." Liza smiled politely.

"They didn't tell us the new Head of Special Projects was this beautiful…" Gunn admired her. She blushed at the compliment.

"Grazie…" she answered, "and thank you both, for the trouble of coming all the way out here to accompany me but it wasn't necessary."

"Of course it was…" Ilona answered.

Wesley added, "It was no trouble at all, we can't let a young woman travel alone on such a trip."

"Exactly…" added Gunn.

"As I said, thank you…" she grinned again in appreciation.

Ilona grabbed at Wesley's arm and began to lead them to the podium, "Announcements will begin soon…"

Gunn took the opportunity to be close to Elizabeth, "Liza… shall we join them?"

She looked around for Alessandro remembering that she had kind of agreed for him to be her escort, but thought it would probably be rude to refuse his manners, "We shall…" she took his arm as well.

Ilona took the stage to greet the crowd, "Welcome Signore e signori… to Rome's Wolfram & Hart's Annual Gala!" Everyone cheered and applauded. "To those who are already of our acquaintances, it's nice to see you, and to those who are new to the law firm, welcome. I'd like to begin our announcements by thanking Wolfram & Hart for giving us such a great event every year to make this fundraiser possible."

Cheers & Applause

"We also have two very special guests joining us that I would like to thank and that is Mr. Wyndam-Pryce and Mr. Gunn from our LA Branch, thank you for coming all the way out here it's an honor."

Claps were heard all around.

"And… also, we have an important promotion to announce, my niece, Ms. Elizabeth Callahan will be joining their team at LA's Wolfram & Hart Branch." They all clapped and began to congratulate her. "Congratulations darling…" she smiled at Liza, "Now let's enjoy the party…"

Alessandro spotted Liza being congratulated and headed towards her, he had had to step away and deal with some security issues and when he got back people were hugging her, congratulating her, and he didn't understand why. He noticed two gentlemen with her standing around like bodyguards and felt a surge of jealousy fill him.

He reached her, "Ms. Callahan, did I miss something?"

She smiled nervously, "Um… well… Ms. Bianchi just announced my promotion to LA's Wolfram & Hart Branch…"

"Yes we are quite thrilled for her to join our team…" Wesley added, "I'm Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, by the way, Head of the Mystical Research Division, pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand to Alessandro.

"Oh gosh… how rude of me… Alessandro is my assistant, Alessandro, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce and Mr. Gunn Head of the Legal Division." She introduced them.

He shook both of the men's hands, "Pleasure gentlemen…" he turned back to Liza, "uh well… congratulations on the big promotion." He gave her a hug and a kiss on each cheek.

"Grazie Alessandro…" She didn't know why but she felt really uncomfortable, it probably had to do with the fact that you could tell Alessandro was clearly surprised and bothered.

"I've gotta head back and deal some things that came up…" he said finding a reason to leave.

"Is something wrong, do I need to…?" Liza began concerned.

He interrupted her, "No… no… not at all, small things that I can take care of. Enjoy the party Ms. Callahan… you've earned it. Gentlemen…" he nodded his goodbye and walked away. He was so upset, tonight had been the night he had decided that he'd tell her how he felt, and now… she was leaving, and not just a couple of blocks or miles away, but across the world, and it broke his heart into little pieces. He couldn't bear the thought of continuing to escort her knowing she was leaving Rome and steeping out of his life forever.

Liza felt a shot of guilt pass through her, she knew he was upset. She'd been able to tell since the moment she placed her hand in his to get out of the vehicle, that he radiated a certain amount of expectation, like today was or might mean something.

"Everything okay?" asked Gunn.

"Oh… I apologize; just have a lot on my mind with the trip, the move, new job…" she answered.

"Of course, it's a lot to take… May I freshen up your drink?" Wesley asked.

"Si, grazie… I mean, yes… thank you…" she smiled, "Gonna have to learn to let go of that little Italian in me." They all giggled.

The rest of the night she spent it in the company of Gunn & Wesley, they made the rounds and got to business chat with other people. She was amazed at how much of a good time she was able to have with the both of them, she had thought that she may have had to excuse herself early to leave the boredom of the Gala, but ended up being one of the last ones to leave.


	2. Chapter 2

I know... I know... most of us can't see Angel with anyone else that's not Buffy, but this story is different... It has come together really awesome, so I hope you guys give it a chance :) Angel & Liza meeting coming next chapter.

~Read & Review~

* * *

Chapter 2

Saturday was a blur, between trips of going to the office and home back and forth making sure that everything she needed she would have, the day was gone.

At work she'd left a detailed report on all of the things that needed to be taken care of, and at home most of her stuff had already been shipped except for some clothes and personal items. She'd agreed to make an appearance at Trombino's, an Italian Bar & Café, as some of her division's co-workers had asked that she go have a last drink with them before she left.

She arrived late in the evening to the bar, people already expecting her, she smiled as she crossed the door and work friends waived her over. She had had a family at her work place, but she hadn't made what she would have considered a best friend, and the only person she would have seen to fit that title was not even there and expected something more from her.

"Are you having a good time Ms. Callahan?" her thoughts being interrupted as she recognized the voice. He came.

"I am grazie Alessandro…"

"I'm glad; I took the liberty of getting you another drink, since I saw that one getting low?" He handed her the drink. "A toast to the bright future ahead, Salute!" he put his drink towards hers and faced the others to announce cheers as well.

"Salute!" she whispered and smiled warmly, she was confused. Last night he had been upset at her promotion and didn't even see him the rest of the night, and now he was there, acting like everything was fine and yesterday hadn't happened.

"May I have a private moment with you Ms. Callahan, away from the crowd?" he'd leaned in to whisper the request to her ear. She nodded in agreement. He extended his arm to lead the way.

Trombino's was a two story Bar & Café, the Café was downstairs and the Bar was upstairs. It had a villa rustic field to it and beautiful lighted balconies with exotic plant decorations that gave way into the scenic view of Rome. He led her to one to the outside and closed the glass doors behind them. He cleared his throat…

"I…uh… I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday, I was rude and …" she interrupted.

"Alessandro, you don't have to…" he raised his hand to stop her and continued.

"Please Ms. Callahan, I have to get this out," she waited uncomfortably, she had a feeling she knew what was coming, "my behavior was inexcusable, your promotion just caught me off guard a bit. I had heard rumors of you wanting to leave but I just never thought that you would eventually do it."

He paused. "Last night I wanted to tell you how I felt about you…" fear and uncertainty filled him, "not that you wouldn't know, I think everyone in the office knew, but I wanted to voice it myself."

She smiled nervously confirming that she knew.

"You know, I never believed in love at first sight until I met you… I still remember the first day you walked into the office," he smiled at the memory, "you radiated light into the darkness that is Wolfram & Hart, and you took my breath away. The moment that you smiled at me I knew that I loved you, which was crazy, I know, but I did, I do… I love you Elizabeth."

He gazed into her eyes looking for the reciprocation of his feelings and found nothing there.

She gazed lovingly into his eyes, the way a sister would look at her brother… "Alessandro I don't think…" She paused as his expression saddened.

"I know…" he gazed down for a moment, and then looked back up to her eyes, "I know you don't feel the way I do because if you did, you wouldn't be leaving… I just needed you to hear it from Me." he smiled sheepishly, "But I have hopes… maybe while you're away you'll realize that you have feelings for me, and I'll be here… always waiting…"

She walked towards him holding his gaze, smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and hugged him for what seemed like forever.

He was enwrapped in the feel of her tiny body in his arms, taking her in, her touch, her scent, her love, not the love he expected but love regardless…

She pulled away slowly, looked him in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I can't see you the way you want me to… I care for you, I do, I even know that I love you like the brother I never had… But that is all that my heart can offer. I would love to remain friends with you, if you want my friendship, but I'll understand if you don't want to."

"I do, please keep in touch…" he smiled and reached for the balcony's glass door and led her back to the gathering.

/

She tightly hugged Ilona her good bye and gave her a kiss on each cheek, she promised to go see her no later than in a month, and wished her good luck, though in her aunt's eyes, she didn't need it. The last words Ilo had told her though, for some reason stayed with her.

She'd said, "And who knows… maybe you find your soul's half and live happily ever after…" She didn't know why it kept replaying in her head, why did had it struck her, was it just the emotional rollercoaster of her move, was it that she wanted to feel for someone the way Alessandro felt about her, did she want that kind of domestic life, what was it… She felt the plane move and she opened her eyes startled.

"Elizabeth, are you okay?" Gunn noticed her fright.

"Oh… um… yes, I just dosed off I guess, then the plane… I'm fine, grazie…" she smiled.

"You afraid of flying?"

"Not really… it was more like being startled when the plane moved." She smiled.

"Well… if it makes you feel any better, we should be landing shortly…"

"Really… that was fast." Liza gazed out the plane window looking for confirmation. She then glanced over to Wesley who seemed to be enwrapped in his book.

"Is what you're reading that interesting?"

"Actually yes, the mystical world and writings has always fascinated me…" he answered while putting the book away.

"Yeah, it's called not having a life…" Gunn chimed in smiling at Liza, she giggled.

"No… it's loving what one does for a living…" he returned.

"I think that's an attractive quality in a man, someone who's smart and loves to research what they do outside of work as well… you do take a break once in a while, though, right?"

He laughed, "Yes I do, but in plane there's not too much that one can do to make the time pass quickly…"

"Makes sense…" Their conversation was interrupted by the pilot announcing their arrival to Wolfram & Hart's private airport. They landed quickly and a limo was already expecting their arrival.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello :) I honestly love how this story has developed... I hope you're liking it too...

As always I welcome and more than encourage your reviews, happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 3

The drive to Wolfram & Hart Office wasn't too far from there, she was getting anxious, excited… It was a new place, new city; new beginning… she could start over without the shadow of the sadness in her past.

They'd arrived early afternoon, sun was shining bright and rather than pick out an apartment off of the company's catalog, she'd requested to be able to take one of the apartments in Wolfram & Hart until she went out and looked at a place herself. She'd heard great things about the apartments there, and it would be convenient for the time being.

"And we're here…" Gunn announced, "Are you sure you don't want to check into a hotel instead of staying here?"

"I am fine taking an apartment here, but thank you anyways, besides I'll be the only one here…"

"Um…" said Wes, "that's not entirely true, Angel, the CEO being a vampire and all, has taken up the penthouse suite of the apartments offered here as well…"

"Oh… Well… We'll be neighbors… Plus… It's only temporary until I find something I like, maybe off the beach or something."

/

"Harmony!" yelled Angel through the intercom.

"Yeah, boss…" she answered startled.

"Is the office and condo ready for the new Head of Division?"

"Yes, boss, the office is ready and I just received the keys for the condo. The files sent from the Rome branch are already in her office as per her instructions and Ms. Bianchi took care of the condo details. I also have the contracts that you asked for."

"Great, bring them in, and make sure all the Heads of Divisions know about the meeting for tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing boss..."

/

"Wow…" Liza said looking around like as they entered the lobby of the LA Wolfram & Hart, "Guess all the offices are pretty much alike, huh?"

Gunn laughed, "Seems that way doesn't it." He gazed at her as she looked around and couldn't help but just fall for her more and more…

"They probably are…" Wes added amused by her reaction, she seemed different… happy.

They entered the elevator to head to the CEO's office. Elevator doors opened and they stepped out, she was quickly greeted by everyone…

"Afternoon Ms. Callahan …"

"Welcome Ms. Callahan …"

"Ms. Callahan …"

Wes smiled at Liza, "Sorry about all this, somehow news travels fast…"

"What Wes means is that they know you're new…" Gunn chimed in, "Would you like a tour of the office?" he smiled flirtingly. He figured that before anyone else got to know the new beautiful young woman, he better start making his move to claim her.

"Um…" she began.

"Actually…" Wes interrupted, "Angel is expecting us in his office, the three of us."

Gunn seemed bothered. "Well… he's the boss…" she glanced and smiled at them and

Gunn just smiled dazedly back.

There was something about this girl's piercing gaze that had such an impact on him, but he quickly began to notice it wasn't just him but all males. Though Wesley was completely in love with Fred, he could feel the vibe of interest coming of off him. If he was going to be able to have a shot with her, he was going to have to move fast.

/

"Harmony, is Angel in the office?" Wes asked.

She looked up smiling, "Yes, he's expecting you. Welcome to LA Ms. Callahan." She added friendly standing up.

"Thank you, Harmony."

"Let me announce you in…" She walked them to the door and knocked lightly.

"Come in!"

Harmony walked in, "They're here boss…"

Angel got up and fixed his shirt making sure he looked presentable, "Let them in…"

He began to feel some kind of presence approaching, powerful but not evil, it made him feel odd, weak. He pushed the feeling aside. Harm gestured them in. They walked one each on her side as if possessively claiming to be with her.

Angel was excited that he had been able to fill the position with someone of trust, like his friend's niece, rather than have the senior partners appoint someone on their side. Ilona had entrusted him with her only family and asked that he teach her and protect her while there. He had quickly begun to feel a sort of over protectiveness for the young woman who he knew nothing about except her name.

She came into view and looked directly in his eyes with a soft smile on her lips.

He stopped; it was like laying eyes on a god, an angel, she was the definition of pure, divine beauty. Soft reddish brown curls, hazel diamond like eyes, barely rosy cheeks, plump cherry colored lips, and sun tanned skin that shined like she was made out of gold. He felt his heart melt like as she stared like she could read him… and he felt guilt, the last time he had felt this way was with… He closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Angel?" Gunn and Wes asked surprised at his reaction.

He looked up to see her cheeks flash a deep red in embarrassment; she'd noticed his reaction to her presence and it obviously affected her too.

She had been excited for her new place and home in LA, she'd heard great things about working with Angel, but what she wasn't prepared for was the feeling in her chest the moment he laid eyes on her. His chocolate brown eyes seemed to see right through her and she felt her skin burn, and her heart beat rise like wanting to jump out of her chest.

Trying to end the awkwardness he began to speak, "I'm sorry; I'm Angel, the CEO…" he walked towards her to greet her.

She walked towards him extending her hand, "Angel, Ms. Eliz…"

"Ms. Isis Callahan…" he finished.

She'd always disliked that people called her Isis, like her parents did before they died, but coming out of his lips made her feel like at home. She shook his hand and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. The moment they touched she felt like a jolt of electricity run through her all over her body, like something had been awakened within her.

He felt her lips brush softly against his cheek and he felt a surge of power, of awareness in his body. Like something that had been long dormant in him had been moved to surface.

At the feelings they both felt, they separated slowly gazing into each other's eyes, not letting go of their hands. Both showed confusion and shock.

Gunn noticed the energy of anticipation building within them and jealousy filled him. "It's Elizabeth or Liza…" he said sharply interrupting the moment.

Wes sent a pointed look at Gunn; yes everyone seemed to be interested in this girl but if anyone needed someone in their life was Angel. He deserved some kind of happiness.

They let go of their hands and she said, "Isis is fine…" she whispered and smiled shyly.

He smiled in response; he hadn't remembered feeling this dorky since his teenage years hundreds of years ago. Why was he so nervous? "Well I'm sure it was a long flight, why don't I show you your condo? You could freshen up?"

Gunn glared, it was like they were the only ones in the room. Angel was gaining on his girl he thought jealously. "I've gotta check in with Fred and look over some contracts…" Wes said gesturing for Gunn to go with him.

"What contracts?" he asked not wanting to leave.

Wes hit him on the arm, "The contracts from Rome you know the ones…"

He glared mad, "Huh! Those contracts… of course…" he finished with sarcasm as they left.

/

Angel walked to his desk to grab a folder and the keys he needed. He handed her the folder, "These are the… um… the contracts for work and lease so you can look them over. Let me show you your office…"

Angel's office led to the conference room and in the conference room there was a new door on the other side of the table adjacent to his. He opened it, "This will be your office, right across from mine. These two offices are the only ones with direct access to the conference room without having to walk around through the main doors." He smiled.

"Wow… this is too nice; something smaller will be fine…"

"Not happening… I told your aunt I'd take good care of you, so the closer you are to me the better." He felt like as if his body could sweat as he realized what he'd said.

"Okay…" she answered simply. She tried to over look the comment that sent a wave of happiness through her.

They walked in and he led her to the bookcase and pulled on what seemed an old book of poems and the case slid to the side revealing an elevator. He handed her two set of keys.

"These are for your office desk and these are for the condo, I know you requested an apartment but Ilona and I spoke, and we agreed the condo would be nicer." He was surprised at the fact that he was trying to impress her.

"Of course you did" she said jokingly as they got into that elevator. A moment later the doors opened revealing a door. He opened the door revealing a beautiful furnished living room in all her favorite shades of purple and gold.

He gave her a tour of the whole place and led her to another door on the opposite side of where they had come in, he opened it and there were stairs that led outside.

"And this is the entrance or exit if you prefer, that goes up directly to your condo from outside."

"It's beautiful, I love it…" she smiled pleased. He hadn't realized how much she affected him until he saw the cheerfulness of her smile. He could only hope that that would never change.

"What is that door to?" she questioned the door across from hers.

"Ohh… that would be…my… my… mine; I mean the entrance to my penthouse." He said nervously.

"Ohh…" she blushed. They were going to be really close whether it was at work or home.

He laughed quietly, "Why don't I give you time to, you know, rest and stuff and I'll see you in the morning."

"Morning?" she asked.

"Yes, we have a meeting at 8:00am…"

"Oh… ok, I guess I better get me an assistant or …"

"Right, well… If you're not too tired you could come by my office later and I can show you who that person is… you already have one, but if you're not happy with that person we can get someone else…"

"Okay… I'll be down in moment then, I'll just freshen up, get unpacked and all."

"Okay, great."

"Great." She smiled closing the door behind her.

The moment she closed the door she leaned her back against it, Angel had stirred something inside her. Feelings that she did not want to feel, she wanted to start anew and didn't need to complicate her life by getting involved with someone at work, especially when that someone was the boss.

But, she thought, there's something in his eyes that almost plead to her. Something about his smile that makes her vulnerable… She made up her mind to just block those feelings and put them in the vault of her heart. "This can't ever be…" she said to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Ugh! So... ^_^ sorry for not updating sooner, my head feels like it's all over that place as I'm trying to give the same attention to all my stories and update them faster. I should probably focus on just one until done so I don't feel like I've pulled myself in all directions :) Hehe...

Though I like feeling like I have something to accomplish for all of you :) Anyways, enough of me ranting and happy reading! OH.. and please ReViEw :)

* * *

Chapter 4

Angel waited until she closed the door. A draft of air blew against him full of her scent in it. He felt chills go through his body. He was confused, yet excited… he could feel her and sense her; she somehow was inevitably becoming a part of his every sense and he didn't understand why.

The thought that this young woman could make him feel this kind of happiness and satisfaction just by looking at her, scared him to death, death? How ironic, he laughed. The last time he felt this much happiness he'd become the worst version of himself and he didn't want to have to go through that again.

/

"Angel, I need to get some signatures on these… Angel?" Wes walked in papers in hand.

"Wha… Oh sorry… my head is elsewhere." Angel answered distracted.

"Elsewhere, huh? Would this elsewhere possibly pertain to a certain young lady by the name of Elizabeth?"

He smiled at the mention of her name, then it faded, "Of course not, I… uh… it's work stuff, you know, the usual."

"Uh huh… let's pretend I believe you. Sign here and here." He pointed at the papers. There was silence as he looked over what he was about to sign.

"You know, she is a very beautiful young woman, single, intelligent. She even has that brooding thing that you do." Angel looked up at him with a raised eyebrow from the papers he was holding.

Wes picked up on the look of "who said I wanted to talk about this" and stopped, he looked back to the papers, signed them, and handed them back to him.

"Look, Angel, you shouldn't deny yourself the opportunity to have a life with someone. Plus… you can tell she's interested in you…"

Angel glared at him.

"Fine, I'm going…" he began to leave.

"Wes…" he asked before he stepped out.

"Yes?"

"Do you really think she's interested?"

"I really do…" Angel smiled at him and Wes smiled back.

"Please don't…"

"I won't mention it to anyone."

"Thanks."

/

A couple of hours later there was a light knock on the door as it crept open. "I said don't bother me…!" Angel yelled heading to the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Liza began to turn to leave.

He rushed to stop her and ended up holding her hand, "No… I'm sorry, I thought you were Harmony, please come in." He smiled apologetically.

"No you were… I should have tried your extension first and make sure you could…"

"Not necessary, please…" he gestured her in.

She walked in and turned to face him, "I thought we'd… I mean you'd give me the tour and I could meet my assistant…"

"Of course…" he grabbed his blazer, "Let's take a walk…"

He showed her all of the Wolfram & Hart divisions, showed her around the whole building, and then they headed back to her office. Outside of her office there was a desk and a young woman, dark skinned, long brown hair, she looked up at the sound of them approaching.

Liza stopped and smiled, "Christy?"

"Liza? Oh my god, what are the odds…" she got up to greet her with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"What are you…? You're my assistant?"

"My family moved from Rome two years ago, then I met my fiancé and him and I moved here about a month ago. So you're the important Ms. Callahan everyone's been expecting?"

Angel looked surprised, "So… I take it you know each other?"

Liza looked at him, "Yes… we went to school together…"

"I'm sorry Mr. O'Connor, here I am blabbing away…" Christy apologized.

"No… it's alright, at least Isis will have a friendly face around…" he smiled at her, "why don't I give you time to catch up and she can fill you in on your pending projects."

"That sounds good, thank you Angel… for the tour…" she grinned at him.

"Your welcome… see you at 8am?" he asked as if it was an option.

"8 o'clock sharp" she confirmed.

Angel left them in the hallway catching up. Right before he walked into his office he looked back, and they were headed inside her office.

/

Hours later everyone had left; Liza had stayed in her office reviewing the projects she was going to have to take care of, catching up on previous assignments still in the works, and looking at her schedule for important meetings to attend.

She quickly began to realize that her main role at Wolfram & Hart was going to be mainly management of financial assets. Finally feeling like she'd gathered all information she needed to begin work tomorrow, she relaxed on the sofa in her office. She'd been so focused on her work that she hadn't noticed the odd feeling in her chest.

She glanced towards the conference room, and you could see light peering in from the bottom of the door. He was still in his office and she wanted to see him, butterflies filled her stomach at the thought. She shook her head and tried to push the feelings aside but couldn't. Before she lost her resolve to not go find him, she went up to her condo and went to bed.

Angel sensed Liza still in the office, working late he thought. Part of him wanted to go over there find an excuse just to see her, be near her, but another part of him held him back. As much as she struck him emotionally and was surprised at how quickly he wanted it all with her, he couldn't let himself get involved. He'd been happy before and that did not go well for anyone, so… He turned off the light in his office and went upstairs to bed.

/

Isis woke up early for the morning meeting; she wanted to look her best to meet the rest of the head of departments. She put on one of her fitted cream suits, high heels, let her hair run in loose curls, and headed down stairs. She walked into her office and Angel was there expecting her. "Well you're up early…" she noticed happily, "did you need something?"

Angel stared at her dazed when she walked in, then he heard her ask him something, "I… was just… no… I don't, just wanted to let you know that these meetings are usually to update me on all the happenings, and you probably won't have…"

"I'm ready…" she answered smiling.

"Oh!" he seemed surprised.

"Wow… don't seem so shocked," she teased, "I stayed up making sure I was up to date on my responsibilities."

His expression turned apologetic, "No I didn't mean… I noticed…. You were working late…" Had he been human he'd been blushing right this moment, he thought.

She blushed at the uncomfortableness of this comment, "I know… I could see the light in your office was still on." She smiled weakly.

She heard her office door open abruptly, "Ms. Callahan I have your… Oh god, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were…" Christy apologized for barging in without knocking.

"Christy! Its fine, we were just prepping… for the um… meeting…" Lizzy said nervously.

"Yes, we were just… I'm gonna go…" Angel began to move to the conference room, "get ready for the meeting, see you in a bit?"

Lizzy nodded her response and he was gone. "Is that my …?"

"Café Latte? Yes it is, hey did I just walk in on something? You guys seemed to be having a moment?" Christy questioned.

"Noooo…." She said unconvincingly, "he's my boss… of course not."

"Uh huh… whatever you say you liar, its like being back in high school with you guys doing the mixed signal dance around each other. I've only seen him act like a teenager around you."

Lizzy smiled, "Look he and I, we… there isn't a "we", hey don't you have work to do?" she pulled the boss card out.

"No fair…" she complained, "fine… I'll be at my desk if you need anything."

/

Lizzy grabbed some paper work and went in to conference room. They were all just arriving, "Good Morning everyone…" she smiled warmly.

Gunn approached her leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek, "Morning Liza…" Angel watched from a far and he got a really big desire to tear Gunn's head off, what was with the kissing of the cheek, anyway?

"Elizabeth… did you have pleasant night?" Wes questioned.

She walked towards him to greet him, and he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek as well. "I did grazie Wes…" Fred walked in, in the middle of their greeting; jealousy quickly brewing inside her.

Ms. Callahan apparently was as beautiful as the rumors in the office had said she'd been. She cleared her throat loudly.

Wes turned to the sound, "Fred! This is …"

Angel walked in closing the door loudly behind him, "Ms. Elizabeth Callahan, head of our special projects division."

Trying to be polite, Fred walked to greet her extending her hand, "Pleased to meet you…"

Lizzy took her hand in greeting and also gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Likewise…" Fred had a confused look on her face…

"I'm sorry… were I'm from… people greet each other with a hand shake and a kiss on the cheek, I didn't mean…"

"No… no… its ok," Fred answered, "I'm just not accustomed to that, I'm head of the science division."

The conference door opened interrupting their greeting, "Morning all…" Lorne greeted loudly, entering fashionably late as always, "Oh… and who is this delicious bombshell…" he walked towards Liza taking her hand and giving it a kiss.

"Elizabeth Callahan the new head…" she began to answer.

Angel approached them pulling her to him slightly, "of special projects division…" he answered possessively.

Lorne raised an eyebrow, "Gosh, angel cakes, you have to learn to share…" he teased from the view of his stance.

Angel realized his reaction, "Uh… all greetings out of the way… let's take our seats and begin the meeting." He said attempting to change the way the conversation was heading and sat at the head of the table.

Liza had been a little taken by Angel's response to Lorne's greeting and against her will, it made her hope, she quickly ignored the thought and was going to take seat at the end of the table when Angel said, "Isis… sit by me…"

He gestured to the chair on his right… She took a seat, the gesture not gone overlooked by the rest of the gang. They stared and smiled at each other.

"Okay… now that we're all here, let's begin…" he said and they began discussing cases.

Angel leaned back in his chair and would steal a glance at her every once in a while, staying away from her for her own safety was going to be harder than he thought…


	5. Chapter 5

Yey... another chapter... I've noticed, I've run out of things to say so... just read and review please and thank to all of those who take the time to do it. It's nice to know that people take interest in what you write.

Enjoy :)

* * *

Chapter 5

It'd been a couple of weeks later in the busy business life of Wolfram & Hart, Spike returned from a trip down to Spain that he was forced to go to, and now that he was back he planned to go back to pissing off the big boss.

He barged in to Angel's office as always, "So where is she…?"

"Do you know how to knock…?" Angel said annoyed.

"Yeah whatever… so where?" he questioned, sitting on a chair with his feet on his desk.

"Where what?" he pushed his feet off.

"Where's the girl everyone's been gossiping about it? I need to know whose part of our team."

"OUR team?" he looked up from his paper work, "Where Isis is or not… doesn't concern you…"

Spike grinned at him, "Ooh… testy… so her name's Isis, huh? That's odd…"

"No… her name is Elizabeth to you…" He informed him out of respect for her.

Then there was a light tap on the conference door, "Go! Leave…" Angel suddenly said.

Spike arched an eyebrow at him and headed to the door, opening it slightly…

"Uh… Hello, you must be…" Liza walked in trying to remember.

"Spike… yes, and you must be…"

"Liza Callahan…" she answered.

"Of course…" he smiled, "I see why Angel-bear here is all smitten with you…" he said out loud to annoy him.

"Spike!" Angel glared dangerously.

She felt her cheeks redden at the comment, "Why don't I come back a little later…"

"No… its fine, I'm gone… for now." He said as he slipped out with a smirk, "Nice to meet ya…"

"Isis… sorry about him, he's just a pain in my… He just likes to make my life difficult…"

"I see…" she smiled, "I just need your approval on a couple of things… I looked them over but if there's something you don't agree with just tell me…" she walked over hesitantly to him with a folder. Being close to him did nothing to help her keep her resolve, she could tell it got harder as the days went by but… it's not like she could avoid him.

Angel reached for the folder, and flipped it open pretending to read. He loved having her near; her perfume always left this floral essence behind that he enjoyed. Yes he was going to stay away from her but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy sensing her and liking her from a distance. He was trying to grasp the content of the forms in his hand, but hearing her heart beat so close and steady had his complete attention.

"Uh… where did you need me to sign the approval…?" he questioned in a daze.

She leaned over his desk him noticing her pendant dangling from her chest as she pointed to the lines and he froze sucking in a breath…

"Here…" she said her hand shaking from the awareness of having him so close in front of her, "you… you don't have any questions for me?"

He finally snapped out of it, "Um… no, I trust your recommendations…" he smiled nervously and handed the folder back.

He was beginning to realize that they could not continue to work with a tension like this; he was going to _lose his mind_, he thought frustrated.

If she was not around were he couldn't feel her, he was constantly wondering where she was. And if she was close by, all he could think of were excuses of how he could get himself to be right there with her… His dreams were completely invaded by her, and during work he sometimes found himself daydreaming about her. Something was going to have to be done about this; but he wasn't sure as to what yet…

She took the folder, nodding and walked off… her heart ready to burst of yearn and desire as she closed the door behind her. She was beginning to think it would have been better to stay in Rome heartbroken, than here fighting the urge and aspiration that he ignited in her.

Then suddenly someone startled her, a man's voice pierced through her thoughts, "Ms. Callahan… gosh, it's great to see you…" he walked over to her.

"Alessandro…" she returned, her eyes wide with surprise, "what are you doing here?"

He hugged her and kissed both her cheeks, "Ms. Bianchi sent me on business… she said to tell you she's sorry she hasn't been able to come yet…"

"Oh…" she let out a breath; he grabbed her hand to lead her to have a seat.

Angel happened to walk in then, "Isis I…" he took in the scene and he almost rushed the young man holding her hand.

She quickly read the expression on his face and said, "Angel, this is Alessandro… he use to be my assistant at the Rome Branch."

He walked over, reading the guy like a book; love, need and desire reeked from him towards her… he felt a rumble wanting to escape his throat but he held it back…

"Angel O'Connor…" he said firm.

"Pleasure sir, I've heard great things about you… I'm here for the ancient scrolls for Ms. Bianchi…" he said standing to greet him.

He ignored the comment, "How long are you staying…?" he asked in more than a rude tone.

"Uh… a couple of days…" he answered taken by his attitude.

Isis didn't know what to say, his reaction could only mean what she'd been trying to make herself believe wasn't happening. She mattered to him, more than just a friend and employee…

"Angel…" she finally said, "did you need something…"

"I… no, I… I'll come back later…" she nodded towards him.

"Okay…" and saw him leave, but could tell he wasn't happy.

Alessandro looked at her strange, "Well that was odd… anyway; do you have dinner plans… I'd really love to catch up."

Angel heard the request through the door, yes eavesdropping was wrong, but he couldn't help it. The guy was giving him a bad feeling and it was his job to protect her, at least that's what he told himself.

"Sure…" Liza answered.

"Great… pick you up at 6:00pm?"

"Sounds good…" she smiled.

/

"So… the senator is threatening to take us to court if we don't comply with her request?" Gunn informed as he paced in Angel's office.

"We can't allow her to do that, that's not what we do is it?" Fred chimed in as she sat on one of the chairs.

"No… it's not… but we haven't finished going through all our clients contracts and apparently that's one of her rights…" Wes added looking at Angel be elsewhere mentally than in the room.

"So what now…?" Fred questioned.

"Angel should tell us…" Wes said amused, and they all turned to their fearless leader for a reply.

There was silence, all Angel was thinking was how Isis was going on a date and it wasn't with him. "But it's not a date…" he whispered to himself.

"What…?" Gunn asked.

Angel looked up at them, "What… what?"

"The case, the senator, her contract…" Fred wrapped up for him.

"Oh… that… um well, does she have a case?" He asked Gunn.

"Yeah… she could…"

"Do we have anything on her?" he questioned Wes.

"Uh… I believe that Liza is working with her on getting stock authorization to invest in a new business…"

"Ha! That's perfect…" Angel said all too excited. He would set up a meeting with the senator at a restaurant tonight and make Isis go with him so she wouldn't be able to make dinner tonight. It's brilliant, he thought like a teenager.

Gunn, Wes, and Fred looked at each other. "What is up with him?" Fred inquired.

Gunn shrugged and Wes just nodded approvingly.

Angel picked up his phone and dialed an extension, "Lorne…? What's the nicest restaurant in town that we have connections with…?" He listened for a moment, "Great… make a reservation for four… yeah, thanks." He hung up.

"Going somewhere?" Wes asked.

"Yeah _we_ are…" Angel answered, "Gunn call the senator tell her we'll meet to discuss the issue at Bastide Restaurant at 7:00pm, and you're coming Wes."

"But… I've been the one discussing…" Gunn argued.

"Yes, but she hates the legal banter with you. Wes knows enough and looks harmless…" he smiled.

"But why four?" Fred questioned feeling left out.

"Well… I'll need Isis there to threaten her a little…"

"Convenient…" Gunn grumbled under his breath.

"You say something Gunn?" Angel glared at him.

"No… I'll go set up the meeting with the senator…"

"I'll go finish up and prepare for tonight…" Wes said as he grabbed his papers.

"I'll come with…" Fred accompanied him.

All that was left was to inform Isis; he got off his desk and walked towards the conference room.

/

"Come in…" Liza answered.

Angel walked in, "Hey… you busy…"

"No just looking at some accounts. Gotta make sure you stay in budget…" she teased.

"Good…" he smiled sitting across from her, "So… I heard you're helping Senator Lynn acquire some stock for her to invest…" he probed.

"Yes I am, actually…" she scanned through her files, "I still haven't decided if we should give her authorization, the investment has some risks and…"

"That's good…" he interrupted, "she's trying to get away with sacrificing innocents for a project for one of her supporters, but maybe we can persuade her otherwise tonight at dinner…" he smiled.

"Tonight?" Isis questioned.

"Yes… tonight, will that be a problem…?" he beamed inwardly.

"No… no… nothing I can't get out off…" she grinned at him.

"Great…" he got up proud, "I'll drive us so will you be ready by 6:30pm?"

"Yes, that'll work."

"Okay… see you in a bit…" he said as he headed back to his office.

/

They ended meeting up in the elevator; he wore a nice Armani suit, black shirt, and silver tie… She'd never recall him wearing cologne so that combined with how hot he looked made her feel like she might actually melt in his presence…

This was not a good idea, this… was not… a good idea… Angel thought inwardly. There she was standing by his side in all her glory, midnight blue dress, elegant, off the shoulders, strappy high heels, curly hair, and heart seemed to call at him with its beating erratically…

They both shook their head a bit trying to concentrate on something else that wasn't each other, tension emanated from their bodies, they both felt it so they tried to ignore it by looking up at the numbers decreasing… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… "B" and the doors dinged open...

Whew... and they both let out a breath of relief…


	6. Chapter 6

Hello readers... So it took me a while to come up with a following chapter but I think you guys will be pleased. Um... this is sort of an early attempt at those passionate scenes so let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.

Happy Reading :)

* * *

Chapter 6

The doors slid open and Liza began to take a step forward when she heard a snarl echo behind her and a sudden force pulled her back into the elevator pushing her to the confined room's wall.

Lips were furiously fused to hers and demanded entrance… It'd taken a minute or two to realize what'd just happened before she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck with no hesitation on her part. That tension that'd built before demanded release and it wanted it right now…

Unknown to her she moaned into his mouth delighted as he'd hiked up one of her legs to his hip pulling her closer. Desire was very obviously pressing to her core and she wanted it… she wanted everything he was offering with every touch to her skin and every kiss that traveled up and down her neck…

/

Angel felt that if he'd let her walk out of the elevator he'd probably lose his nerve. So… without thinking about it too long as the doors dinged open and saw her move, he did the one thing that made sense at the moment.

He pulled her back to him pinning her to the small wall with hunger as his lips searched for response and a release that had been building up for days but had reached an unavoidable peak in a matter of minutes.

He allowed the taste and scent of her to drown within his being welcoming the feel of a very old ache he'd suppressed so many times before… not just with her but way before that. He took advantage of her eager self and pressed the elevator button taking them back up to his room…

The air was filled with the sweet scent of their need and he heard her cry out his name, "Angel…?"

/

Liza snapped out of her daydream in a gasp and began to make her way out the elevator as she needed some kind of air on her… she'd felt like she'd been drowning in longing earlier. A few seconds longer and she would have jumped him right now right here…

When she heard no noise or the sound of Angel's movement, she turned around to find him deep in his thoughts… She set her hand on the door to keep it from closing and called him, "Angel?"

He snapped his eyes open and saw the figure of a woman looking at him with an odd expression… Then he recognized her, Isis… "Isis!" he said out loud.

For a minute there he looked really surprised and had guilt fill his stare. She wondered if he'd been able to read what she'd been day dreaming just moments ago; as a result of her own shame… she pressed her thighs together in worry.

"You… um, you ready to go?" She questioned.

"Yes… yeah, sorry…" They left the elevator walking through the parking garage to one of the many cars he had at his disposal. He chose familiar…

They reached the older version of his black convertible and opened the passenger door for her. As she stepped into the car swinging her legs in, the dress raised up her thigh a little revealing skin and he suppressed a groan in his throat while closing the door quickly.

As he walked around the car adjusting his pants, he cursed his need for her. It was going to be a long night if he couldn't do something about the way his pants seemed to be fitting tighter than they did before laying his eyes on her.

Alessandro glanced from a distance as the woman he still undeniably loved, left with a man that she had that penetrating look for. Kind of the one he had for her, he shook his head thinking to himself that that was just not fair. Who could love her more than he could?

/

It was not a long drive to the restaurant but it had been a little uncomfortable. They'd both sat thinking of what had crossed their minds a few minutes ago and that made the drive an awkward silent one.

They pulled up to the restaurant, Wesley and Senator Lynn also just arriving at the door. The valet took their vehicle and Angel took the opportunity to take her hand in his to escort her in.

"Angel, Liza…" Wes began, "you remember the Senator…" he introduced unnecessarily.

"Senator…" Angel nodded.

"Lynn…" Liza smiled and leaned to shake her hand and give her a fake kiss on the cheek.

The Senator returned the gesture and said, "Liza, Angel great to see you again… I'm anxiously waiting for our dinner meeting next week…" she gave Isis a meaningful look.

She just smiled back, "working on it…"

"Well… shall we…" Wes gestured for them to head inside the restaurant…

Three dinner courses later and a couple of glasses of wine in between friendly chitchat the Senators' expression turned serious and began, "Alright… so what is this about? I know you're not just going to wine and dine me without a purpose…"

"Well… you're right…" Angel responded.

Wes gave him a look, "What Angel is trying to say is that yes there is a purpose… it very much has to do with one of the stipulations of your contract to perform… certain sacrifices…" he said trying not say something supernatural out in public.

"But it's my right and duty to my supporters…" she grinned wickedly, "and I have a signed contract that permits it…"

Angel leaned in to threaten, "But that was before the new management and you know this senator…"

Liza had just been listening intently, and then finally decided to butt in, "It's quite simple actually…"

The senator turned around to face her taken, as she had not expected her to say anything.

"We draft up a new contract for you to sign, under… the new regulations of Wolfram & Hart's new CEO Angel and I… will approve your stock request, though it is not in the best interest of our company because of its risks… it would almost be a win-win." She smiled tenderly taking a sip of her wine.

"Well that answers my question as to why you're here…" the senator stared at her a moment. Wes and Angel smiled surprised and waited for a response.

Liza held the senator's firm gaze and she finally said, "Okay… but what about my supporters. I have to remain in power and they are not going to take this limitation lightly…"

"Most…" Liza began and the same time Angel had began to speak, "sorry…" she said to him waiting for him to continue.

"No… go ahead…" he encouraged.

"Um… okay, well I was just going to say that most of your supporters are also big investors of Wolfram & Hart and we can work something out so things come out in our favor, but making sure the clients are satisfied…"

Senator Lynn nodded at her, "I like you…" she smiled turning to Angel, "I see why you hired her… she's good."

They finally took care of the bill and headed out of the restaurant. They all said their goodbyes and the senator turned to Liza, "You know… if you're ever looking for a job, I'd love it if you worked for me. I could use someone like you on my side."

"Are you trying to take one of my best employees…?" Angel half teased half angry meant it.

"Of course not…" She smirked, "have a great evening gentlemen… Liza…" she nodded and left.

/

The drive back to Wolfram & Hart had been also a silent one but with the atmosphere a lot calmer than it had been before.

Isis had her hands together on her lap when they passed a bump and her hand shot out to the seat for hold… right onto Angel's hand in the middle.

The connection they had was incredible and the surge of power that traveled through them was like nothing else.

She felt her heart react and though she loved the intimate touch, she thought it'd be safer to move her hand away from his.

Angel felt her hand on his and cherished the feel of her touch… he didn't want her to take her hand away so when he felt it lift a little, he spread his fingers and hers fell in between the spaces.

He began to form a fist and she let him hold her hand the rest of the drive… there were no words said, it was like they knew they shouldn't, but couldn't help it either so for the moment… They let their emotions take over and just embraced the feelings coursing through them by one innocent touch.

And after that night… that's how it all started…


	7. Chapter 7

Hello everyone :) So... I am working my muse to its fullest to satisfy you, I know this may not be your favorite story because it's not BANGEL, but it won't disappoint...

I promise :) So... again... thank you for taking the time to read. Reviews are most extremely encouraged, so let me know your thoughts...

Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 7

Angel got home worn-out; it'd been a long day… he seemed to just be so emotionally drained lately. The meeting with the Senator had gone really well and he was pleased that Liza had taken charge. Not that it had been necessary, but hopefully she hadn't noticed that.

He knew and was aware that he could have taken the meeting without Wes' or Liza's help, but it had worked out for him to be able to ruin her dinner plans, which was all he wanted. Yeah, that had been kind of evil of him, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

He smiled… What was he doing…? He wasn't like this was he? The jealous type of guy… especially to a girl he had no right to…

He sighed… sleep… what he needed to get right now, was sleep…

/

Months passed and the undeniable attraction between Isis and Angel was growing with every passing day. They both were fighting to keep away from the other as just being in each others' presence or in the same room, made the reasons they had to push the other away, fall away not seeming important enough.

Isis thought restraint was her best option after that night before the meeting.

Angel hadn't quite been able to figure out what to do yet, he'd been torn inside and until he chose, he knew he'd continue to be torn…

/

One night Isis was sleeping, she began to have an odd dream. Its setting seemed to be during Egyptian times, she was walking along a hallway inside a temple. The walls were marked in hieroglyphic script and paintings of princesses and pharaohs. They seemed to move as she walked by, she felt dizzy and confused.

She finally in her dream reached a rock door with a hieroglyphic of a woman wearing a headdress of a shaped like throne, her hands extended to the sides like wings, carrying various items on her arms. Under it in Egyptian language there was a message, she reached to touch it and the letters shifted to English writing stating "Behold the entrance to the temple of the goddess Isis."

She looked down at her dress attire and she noticed that she was now wearing a gold dress that showed her legs from the knees down, in strapped sandals, and beautiful jewels around her arms, neck, and fingers. The door opened to her slowly she walked in and there was a large mirror like wall, she saw herself in this strange outfit and make-up.

A vague presence of a floating spirit next to a worship altar was waiting for her, the spirit gestured her to come closer. She did… as she got closer she recognized her mother smiling at her, she ran towards her she tried to speak but nothing came out.

The woman finally after a moment, spoke, "Sweet Isis Elizabeth… I've been expecting you my daughter."

"But…" Liza began confused, "you're… dead, how? Why?"

"All in time will be answered my sweet, all you need to know now is that you are finally ready."

"Ready?" she questioned, "But… ready for what mama?"

"I wish I'd been alive to tell you all about our family history and what this calling entails. We don't have a lot of time; someone is coming, so I'll tell you what is most important. We are descendants of the goddess Isis, goddess of motherhood, magic, fertility, and of power over the underworld. Our duty is to help keep the balance between all that is good and evil."

"What?"

"Yes, you'll need to speak with your aunt Ilona she will fill in the rest of what you need to know. I left you some diaries, she will have them. Anytime you need to speak to me… search inside you" she touched the ring on her hand shaped like an oval with horns, "and I will come to you."

She began to disappear.

"But… mama… mama…?" She was gone, tears ran down her cheeks. The setting began to change again, she seemed to be sitting by a tree in a cemetery, and she noticed she was now wearing jeans and a jacket. Her hair seemed to be blonde and she was in the embrace of a man.

This was not her dream, she assured herself, and it felt like a memory of some kind. She pushed the thought aside; it didn't matter, being in this embrace made her feel safe, loved. She suddenly felt her body move without her wanting it to.

/

Angel looked around his surroundings confused, Egypt? He thought were am I? He began to walk towards a door ahead, light peering in from the other side; he heard talking… too far to make out what they were saying. He got closer and then her heard crying and a female voice that he recognize yell, "Mama? Mama?" His mind caught up, it was Isis, he ran inside the room and everything began to change.

He was in the cemetery, holding in a tight embrace a woman, he looked to find out who he was holding and saw blonde hair… Buffy? He thought.

She turned to face who was holding her, Angel? She thought shocked and surprised, what is he… suddenly she spoke words as if from a script, like she was meant to say them, "How's forever? Does forever work for you?" Then he gazed at her with a look that she had never seen and her lips were soon on his tenderly kissing him at first then it quickly turned passionate.

She resisted from the kiss at first, this just couldn't be real, but her need to have him was greater and she gave in, kissed him lustfully. She let her body react to the moment, felt a heat take her making her melt.

He quickly recognized the setting of when he'd seen Buffy after her mother's funeral. He dreaded the question she'd asked that he knew the answer to be No, and then she asked, "Does forever work for you?" he was silent, he could not answer her, hurt her when that was impossible. She was soon then kissing him, just like he remembered he thought happily.

Then something changed, the kiss seemed unfamiliar and became intense, needy, he decided not to care it didn't feel like Buffy and gave in to it. It began to ignite fire in him; parts of his body began to wake.

She was beginning to hit the point of no return, so she stopped and pulled away… slowly. Eyes closed, she whispered against his lips, "Angel…this… us… it can't…" she sighed.

Angel's mind suddenly began to grasp reality, this wasn't… Why was he here? He thought. She began to pull away and began to speak. This woman spoke his name with such emotion and vulnerability… then he heard "us, it can't…" and she sighed against him. He opened his eyes shocked, "Isis!" he questioned.

She was still in his embrace very near his lips; there was silence between them, and then something changed. He became alarmed and her name escaped his lips in surprise. She opened her eyes and his showed fright. She felt deeply saddened, it wasn't her he thought he was kissing, "Angel… I'm sor…." and she woke. She looked around, emotions running through her. She was alone in bed, "it was just a dream? But it felt so real… how could?" She grabbed the phone and began dialing.

"Ciao, Ms. Bianchi speaking…" Ilona answered.

"Aunt Ilo? Its Isis... we need to talk."

/

Angel woke up startled, "Isis?" He looked around noticing that he was back in his room his bed. What had happened, had she really been in his dream or had he somehow ended up in hers? He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. It had felt so real… but why had he thought he'd seen Buffy, and then it was Isis, how… why… could they be somehow linked? He would have to talk to Wes first thing in the morning; he needed to find out the meaning of this.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hello wonderful readers :) I don't even know where to begin to apologize for my lacking of updating. All I can say is that life had kept me busy, but I am working to catch up on my writing to provide you with better, faster updates._

_I thank you for taking the time to read and PLEASE review :) It gives me encouragement to please you. Happy reading and let me know what you think._

* * *

Chapter 8

Okay… Liza thought, Ilona was on a flight out to see her. She'd try and have her tell her what her dream had meant on the phone, but… she said it wasn't safe, so she'd be on the first flight out to see her.

But even with that, she hadn't been able to explain to her, the connection into Angel's dream or why she'd appeared to be someone else. She looked at the time, 5:30am, god it was early… but she just couldn't go back to bed.

She swung her legs over the bed to get in the shower when a light suddenly encircled her when she stood. Like a laser light that scanned her body and she suddenly felt heavy, so heavy in fact that she plopped down on the bed.

What on earth was that…? She looked at her hands and her skin seemed to sparkle, not in the glittery kind of way but in the 'she was glowing' kind of way. She shook her head, Ilona better arrive soon, she thought, things were getting really confusing really quick.

/

Angel considered all of the possibilities that could have had to do with them having this very realistic dream. He thought that there was maybe no way that she'd remember, falsely hoping of course, he was damn sure she would remember. He could feel it, still lingering through his body… He had to snap out of it…

Wesley was his only option and the only person he felt he could trust, but before he decided to tell him. He was going to try and figure it out on his own. So… he decided to do something he'd never done before… to court her… secretly…

/

The first morning after that she came to her office to find a beautiful purple rose on her desk… no note, just a simple hand trimmed rose. She put it up to her nose and inhaled deeply. She wanted to believe it was from him but the fact the Alessandro was still in town made it hard to accept as true.

Either way… it was a beautiful gesture and of her favorite color…

/

"Wow a rose really… I am very surprised at the gesture…" Wes said with crossed arms while pacing in Angel's bedroom.

"I'm a little stunned myself and yet… I also feel really guilty…" He said on his couch with elbows to his knees.

Wes turned to stare at him, "Why would you… oh… Buffy…"

Angel nodded, "I know that I shouldn't because she betrayed me… lost faith in me… in _us_… and on top of all that, became involved with the one vampire I hate… actually hate doesn't even begin to cover it."

Wes furrowed his eyebrows, "Spike?" he voiced, "Oh the Immo…"

"Don't! Remind me…" he said getting off the couch, "I think a part of me will never stop loving her… and honestly, I had embraced me spending the rest of eternity without her just holding on to those memories of us. But now… Isis is…"

"Different… especial…" he filled in.

"Yes… she's so kindhearted, sweet, and she makes me feel… like I could be brought back to life again…" he paused, "Not literally, of course, but…"

"Like you could love her?" Wes smiled.

"I think I already might…" he said somewhat ashamed.

"Wha…" Wes paused when he read his expression, "There's nothing to be feel bad about Angel… you don't chose love, it chooses you. I mean look at me and Fred and how long it took us to get there…"

"Yeah well… after my jealousy fit, I think I'm done suppressing. But I don't think I should tell her just yet how I feel, but what I do want… is to do things differently. Be that kind of thoughtful man that I really wasn't before… I want to do it for her. The conventional way..."

"Good…" Wes encouraged, "I think you should too… It'll be good for you."

"Thanks Wes, you've always been a great friend…" he stood to grab his blazer for the day, "and about the other thing…"

"I will start looking into it… if I find anything; I'll let you know…"

"Thanks…"

/

Every day since that night… Liza had come to work to find some kind of sweet gesture on her desk. She loved the excitement of waking up in the morning thinking of what she'd find the next day, though she still hadn't figure out who was leaving the sentiment… she wondered when her thoughts got interrupted.

Alessandro walked into the office with bags behind his back… "Nice flower arrangement…" he commented of the vase with a bunch of lilac roses while coming in.

She looked up at him, "Thanks…"

"So who's it from…?" He questioned.

And that gave her… part of her answer, it wasn't from him, "Not sure actually…" she grinned.

"Okay…" he began, "So we haven't been able to get together so rather than wait for you to come to dinner with me… I brought dinner to you…" he pulled the bags out, "How's Chinese sound to you?"

"Mmm… that sounds fine…" she smiled.

/

Another regular day at the office, Isis took the elevator to her office deciding to get a head start on her day. What was the point of staying in if she wasn't going to do anything anyways, right? The moment she stepped out of the elevator though, she felt a stabbing pain in her abdomen. She reached to her stomach, blood seeping through her elegant attire were the dagger now took place.

She gasped at the pain looking up to find her attacker… medium size man, rage filled expression, and a smile so sinister it gave her the chills…

"All you had to do was love me back…" she heard him say.

She was trying really hard to make out his face… when it dawned on her, that voice, NO it couldn't be… "Alessandro…?" she whispered then fainted.

Alessandro looked at her unconscious form on the ground… one down, one to go… he thought determined. He took the elevator back up to her place as leaving through the main office would cause suspicion.

/

About twenty minutes later, Christy walked into the office to organize her boss's desk for the day, only to find her bleeding on the floor.

"Oh my god!" she yelled dropping the paper work, "Liza! Liza, can you hear me…?"

She panicked and reached for the phone dialing 911, "Yes, we need an ambulance… Wolfram & Hart, my boss is unconscious…"

She paused, "Yes, I can feel a pulse, slightly weak, but it's there…"

"No… I don't know what happened. All I can see is she's been stabbed, should I remove…"

"Okay… please hurry…" she threw the phone taking off her jacket and bunching it up to stop any more bleeding.

Angel decided to walk in right at that moment… "Christina!" he yelled rushing to them, "What happened…?"

She turned, a worried expression on her face, "I… I don't know, I came in to get her stuff ready and I found her like this on the floor… What are you doing, I was told not to move her?" she questioned as he picked her up and hurried out of the office.

"We have a stand by medical team on site…" he snarled.

She'd tried to stop him, but he'd out of the blue vamped out at her, stopping her in her tracks.

Angel sped through the halls for the medical wing… he could feel his demon face was on and he was desperately trying to shift but the smell of her blood was something so enticing, calling at his canines with a force he hadn't felt in centuries.

"Mr. Angel…" the Chief Medical Physician called, "what's happening…" he said as he led him to a room with a hospital like bed.

"She was unconscious when found, stabbed, her pulse is weak we need to…"

"I'll handle it sir…" the doctor said as he waved at the nurses, "Nurse, prepare the minor OR we don't know how much damage's been caused…"

"I want to come along…" Angel followed.

"You can't, please wait here…" the doctor ordered.

He stayed behind with a very unhappy expression. He now had time to realize how much blood was on him and he felt a growl of want escape him. Her blood smelled so sweet, so tempting, he couldn't even remember when the last time he'd felt this frustrated with the need to take human blood. Actually it wasn't human blood he craved, it just her blood he wanted.

He glanced at his hands and shirt which showed the deepened cherry bright color and felt his canines itch for a taste. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his face turning back to normal but couldn't. He pushed himself harder and then it finally seemed to work, once he opened his eyes… the smell and the feel of it still on him almost made him shift but he stopped it. Though now, he had a very annoying ache on his jaw from the restraint he had to use.

He thought to better distract himself, he was going to find out who did this and made damn sure they paid for what they'd caused. He walked into the one of the offices there and dialed an extension… "Wes! I'm at the medical wing, get the others and meet me here…"

"_Angel! What happened…?"_he heard him ask.

"It's Liza… just come…"

He heard a yes and hanged up.

/

Wesley was being followed by Gunn, Spike, Lorne, and Fred when the elevator dinged… revealing a very cheery Ilona in it.

"Wesley darling…" she smiled steeping out to greet him.

Wes stared shocked, "Ms. Bianchi…" he breathed.

"Gunn love… how are you…?" They were all gazing at the woman, at a loss for words.

"We… you… why are you… never mind. You should come along…" they all stepped into the elevator.

"What's going on Wesley…?" she began to pick up on the odd vibe.

"In all honesty…" Gunn began, "we don't know… but it has to do with…" his expression turned apologetic.

"Ah…" she gasped in realization, "my niece…"

Silenced reined for the rest of the way to the medical wing.

/

Angel heard footsteps from a distance and he felt relief quickly settle… that is until he realized who'd joined them. Ilona… The one person he'd promised to, that he would keep Isis safe and here they were…


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hello awesome peeps of FanFiction... **_

_**So... I can't apologize enough for not updating sooner. And to be completely honest I was kind of bummed that not all of you like it, though to be fair I had warned that this was an Angel and Other Character fic. With that said, I finally mustered up enough happiness in me to finish because there are others of you that have actually liked the story and I owe it to you :P**_

_**So this is the continuation... completely dedicated to all of you who have enjoyed it and taken the time to give this story a shot. So happy reading and of course... PLEASE REVIEW :)**_

* * *

Chapter 9

Ilona walked with a mixture of anger and worry on her expression… she didn't even bother to greet him…

"Where is she?" Ilona asked. Her tone was serious and demanding.

"Ilona, I'm so sorry… I came in…"

"Where Angel?" she repeated not caring for his sob story.

"In the OR with the doctor, they're treating her; she's going to be…"

She walked off; leaving him with words in his mouth… the rest of the group stared in awe.

Ilona reached the small reception desk to ask, "Where do you have Isis Callahan…?"

The receptionist looked up taken by her tone, "She's… she's in the OR, they'll…"

"Take me…" she ordered.

"I'm not allowed to…"

"Now…" she enunciated.

The young girl stood and led the way. Angel and the rest of them stared shocked.

"Angel… what happened?" Wes approached.

"God…" Fred reached for Angel to take a good look at him, "are you hurt… is this your blood?"

"No…" Angel spoke softly, "its Isis' somebody attacked her right under our noses. I want to find out whom, how, and make them pay."

"Well… Angelcakes…" Lorne's nose cringed, "we could start with getting you cleaned up."

"I'm not leaving, not till I know she's okay…"

"We'll stay here and keep you posted…" Gunn assured, by now he'd realized the most he'd get from Liza was her friendship.

Angel let out somewhat of a snarl and began to go the direction that the young lady and Ilona had gone in earlier.

"Angel…" Fred called.

"_What?"_ He all but yelled at her. They all glanced at him like he'd lost it. He sighed, "I'm sorry Fred, I didn't mean… just sorry…" He looked to Wes, "Please just head to security and start investigating what happened…" he said in a pleading voice.

Wes nodded making his way back and the rest of them followed.

/

In the Operation Room…

Ilona burst through the door and yelled at the all the staff to get out… They stared at her like was out of her mind, but her eyes showed seriousness and they did as told. She noticed they'd hooked her up on an IV and had prepared her for surgery.

She stared at the stab wound which had seemed to have stopped bleeding. She walked slowly to her niece and whispered, "I'm sorry that I didn't get here sooner…" she caressed her forehead, "and I'm sorry this is going to hurt like hell…"

Ilona reached for the dagger and pulled it out in one swift motion. Angel burst through the doors then as Liza gasped in an agonizing pain and tried to control her breathing as she did. She glimpsed from Angel to Ilona, then down at her belly as the wound apparently seemed to heal.

She made a move to get up but Ilo held her, "Not yet sweet pea…" she smiled, "you might have been able to heal, but there's only so much our blood line can do."

Liza couldn't find her voice so she just nodded.

"Rest…" she told her, "I have to talk to Angel…"

She then walked towards him and pulled him out of the room to a corner…

"What just happen… what is _she_…?" Angel questioned.

"Our family comes from a long ancient line of… powerful… women. We… well the women in my family have always had certain gifts… that's why I'm here. Hers have been triggered and she needs to know why…"

"And what is the why?"

"That's something I can't discuss with you, but that is all you need to know…"

"But…" he protested.

"Go… go get changed, find out who did this to my niece… I'll watch over her…"

Angel stared unhappily.

"She'll be fine, trust me…" she assured.

"Fine…" he said, "but I'll be back to check on her."

Ilo nodded and he walked away.

/

At the Camera Security room, Gunn and Wesley examined the tapes… there seemed to be a flaw in one of them. Like it jumped time, it made no sense. But then they were able to slow it down and caught a glimpse of the only person on that floor at that time… Alessandro.

Gunn and Wes stared at each other in awe…

"It can't be…" Gunn voiced, "he wouldn't… would he?"

"It could be…" Wes explained, "I remember the look on his face when he found out she was leaving. There's something odd about him, he'd been hurt at the news but more than that… there'd been a deep spark of anger in his eyes."

"Why don't we find him first and then go from there…"

"Sure… let's notify security to find him…"

/

Angel was buttoning up a now clean shirt as he'd come to his place to take a calming shower. He'd hated the fact that Ilona had not confided in him the nature of Isis, but he couldn't force her. He would, however, figure it out… the most important thing now that he knew she was safe, was find out who had done this.

Hopefully Wes and Gunn had some kind of good news for him…

/

Ilona stared at a groggily waking up Isis as she stirred in the room of the hospital bed they'd put her in. She opened her eyes to see her aunt gazing at her lovingly. The events of the past couple of hours suddenly rushed forward and her hand flew to her tummy.

There was nothing but somewhat of a sore point were the stab wound had been, but nothing else.

"How…?" she began, not able to understand.

Ilo smiled tenderly, "This is not the place that I was planning to tell you this, but I guess there isn't going to be a perfect time…"

"Just tell me…" Liza pushed.

Ilo sighed, pulled out a diamond from her purse chanting something… then quickly, it was as if they were in a bubble. An invisible bubble…

"What the…" Liza questioned.

"To people outside of the room, it will appear that we are just sitting here… it's necessary to keep our identity from everyone. And I mean everyone, good and evil… All eyes…"

Liza nodded.

"If I'm not mistaken…" Ilo continued, "my sister may have come to you through a dream telling you, who we are…"

She nodded in agreement, "Descendants of the Goddess Isis…"

"Yes… and for centuries… we have helped keep balance between good and evil."

"So… are we good?"

"Yes and no…" Ilo said, "that usually depends on the woman descendant of Isis of that time. If she wants to use her gifts for good, like your mother did, they will but they can very easily also use their gifts for evil…"

Liza processed the information, it made sense.

"Now…" she went on, "we are not granted immortality but we do have the ability to heal… there are other powers that you will discover yourself in time and through the journals your mom left, but not everything will be in there. They are special journals that can only be read by the one that posses the power of the goddess, to anyone else… they would just seem like blank notebooks."

"But if…" Liza wondered, "if this is the women of our families… then why are you… not…"

"Because mine wasn't triggered…"

"Triggered?" she furrowed her eyebrows, "Triggered how?"

Ilo smiled, "The very first or original, I should say, Goddess Isis became the strong woman that she was because she fell in love with her soul mate…" she paused, "when the very first fight between good and evil erupted, we were among the ones witnessing the birth of the first slayer… She was to fight evil and we are to help or not, as if we don't exist."

Ilo got up from her chair and walked towards her niece taking her hand, "My power was never triggered because soul mates are hard to find. Your mother was lucky to have found your father, and I don't know who holds your heart… but whoever that person is… triggered your power to be unleashed…"

Liza gulped; the only person that she has felt like her world revolved around them was… Angel, but how could it be. Fred had clearly stated that his soul mate had been a woman by the name of Buffy. How could that be explained?

/

After advising the security to go in search of Alessandro… Gunn left the office to visit and old acquaintance. He'd been upset that the upgrade that his brain was given seemed to be faulty and he wanted that to be fixed immediately.

He walked out of the raggedy looking office smiling… a new upgrade with even more information than the last he had gotten, and all for just a signature on a piece of paper to allow passage to some merchandise.

Wasn't a big deal right…? What could possibly go wrong with that?

/

Days later…

Fred was working on some new projects when the phone to her office rang…

"Fred dear…" Wes said, "are you ready to go home now…?"

She gazed at the sarcophagus that had been brought in and she was desperate to get it open, it would be one of the greatest experiences ever, to see what it held.

"I want to stay and open the sarcophagus that was just brought in…" she said.

"Please Fred…" he begged, "You've been working late every night this week. You with your department… us with the unsuccessful search of Alessandro; I want some time alone for us. So get your stuff ready to go because I want to take us out on a nice evening…"

Fred smiled; he could be so cute some times. She gazed to where the sarcophagus laid and decided one more night to wait, wasn't going to change anything.

"Okay…" she grinned, "Meet you in the lobby in ten…?"

"Great…" he said, "see you in a bit…"

/

Angel stared at the empty desk of the office that was that of one Elizabeth Callahan… Today would have been one week since she'd requested some time off after her incident to leave with Ilo on God knows what kind of business. He figured it had to do with this new revealed power that he had not been able to find out anything about… and it was frustrating him the hell out of him.

Not only had they not been able to find Alessandro, who they figured out, was the culprit. But her absence was making him restless… he was getting no sleep and the few times that he managed to submerge into slumber, his dreams consisted of her, making his heart yearn for her return.

Of course he was use to not getting what he most desired, but something inside him called for her… and there seemed to be nothing he could do to appease that feeling emptiness because she was gone. Not that she wasn't returning, but he _needed_ her to be back…

/

Liza read the last page of the last journal and sighed… What her mother had gone through had been extraordinary. She'd always looked up to her, but she now had this new respect for her. She got up from where she laid by the beach and walked towards the water…

She hadn't told her aunt who the man was but she loved coming to the edge of the ocean to run a finger through it… calling forward an image of him and what he currently was doing at Wolfram & Hart.

There was a sad spark in his eyes that made her heart ache… she didn't know why that was, but she felt like almost running to his side to make it all better. Maybe… just maybe, once she was back… she could tell him how she felt about him. There was just no turning her emotions off and she needed him to know…


	10. Chapter 10

_**Hey guys... those of you still reading :) I thank you from the bottom of my heart and promise not to disappoint. I don't know how much longer for the story but is does feel like it's pretty close to the end, who knows :)**_

_**Anyways... up the next chapter goes... Please let me know what you think and how do you guys feel about smut?**_

* * *

Chapter 10

It was at an airport that Wolfram & Harts men found Alessandro trying to catch a flight to Egypt. Of all the places to go, Wes could not understand why he wanted to go there. It made no sense. The men that were holding him captive where on their way back to Wolfram and Hart for them to decide what was the best course of action.

"Egypt?" Angel asked.

"Yes…" Wes answered, "that's where he was headed… they will be bringing him in and put him in one of the cells…"

Angel nodded with a grin; it had been days since their search had gone unsuccessful but now… sweet revenge was near.

/

Liza stepped out of the elevator heading to her office… Christy spotted her coming her way and she stood in a flash to hug her…

"God, I've missed you…" she said.

"Aww, thanks…" Liza said hugging her back, "I missed you and this place too…"

They pulled apart… "What's been happening here…?" Liza asked jumping back into work mode.

Christy smiled… she hated how tunnel vision her friend could be, but she was just glad her friend was back so she went with it.

"Why don't you get settled in while I grab you a latte and bring in your schedule and projects so we can over them…?"

"Okay…" Liza smiled as she turned to head in to her office. It seemed that someone must have thrown her flower arrangement away as it was sure to have died in the time she was in the hospital and gone.

As she settled down her stuff though, she noticed a small journal lying on her desk, it not being able to close right. That was odd, so she sat in her chair as she opened the journal to reveal what must have been a petite lilac rose, already dried with a small card written in the most beautiful writing she'd ever seen that read…

_The greatest pain that comes from love… is loving someone you can never have._

_-Unknown_

She ran her finger over the small rose and it suddenly came to life, petals soft and opening up like it was spring. She smiled… it had to be from him, from Angel. Liza got up from her desk to go look for him in his office when Christy entered.

"I've got your latte and the paperwork…" she smiled.

"Right…" she said, sitting back down… "Yeah, let's um… do this…"

/

Angel, Wesley, and Gunn were in the elevator going to the holding cell where they'd taken Alessandro when Angel felt it… her… she was back. The moment the feeling hit him he wanted to stop the elevator and run to her side, he'd missed her so much, but he couldn't. They finally had the person responsible for her incident and he wanted to deal with that first.

When they arrived on the floor, they headed straight to the cell and he looked up from where he sat his eyes a golden orange. He had an evil smirk in place as he saw Angel and they approach.

"What's so funny small British man…?" Gunn asked.

"Hey… wha… oh…" Wes said now realizing he wasn't speaking to him.

"Won't be laughing for long…" Angel said unlocking the door, stepping inside to pin him up against the wall, "any last words before I kill you…" he growled.

"Angel!" Gunn and Wes said in unison.

"If you have a problem with this leave…" he snarled at them. They stood behind him and said nothing else.

Angel turned back to Alessandro as he was laughing… he was about to snap his neck when he began to speak in a language that he could not understand. What the hell was that, Egyptian? He coked his head to the side in a 'who cares mode' about to kill him when a familiar presence behind him began to chant something in the same language…

"Angel don't…" Liza said as she continued chanting, "let him go…" she said in between chants. A little confused but all too excited to see her, he let Alessandro go reluctantly; he growled and thrashed like he was being exorcised. He kept on yelling at her in that language and soon… he was yelling as a light seemed to consume him from the inside out… making him completely disappear.

The men all stared at her in awe as she brought her hand down from how she'd been chanting and using power to hold him in place.

She'd been finishing up with Christy in her office when a feeling of danger consumed her and she'd remember the feeling described in one of her journals. All the goddesses had had to deal with a version of Set. Set had been an evil and jealous brother of the original Goddess Isis. She'd fallen in love with her brother/husband, Osiris, and had had a child with him, Horus, which had made the other brother jealous and had gone psycho mad after three of them eventually being successful in his quest.

Alessandro had had something for her and had allowed to be merged with the pharaoh's soul of Set. She'd been warned after the fact that he'd attacked her and almost actually killed her.

"How…?" Angel began, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She smiled at him, "Um… it's kind of a long story…" she said walking past them, making her way back to the elevator.

"Isis, wait…" Angel said going after her. She was tapping her foot desperately as she waited for the elevator doors to open. The moment it arrived and opened for her… someone's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Isis…" Angel said, "why are you running away…?"

"I… I'm not… running away…" she said nervously.

"We need to talk…" he said in a serious tone.

She half smiled and nodded as he stepped into the elevator with her… the doors were about to close when Gunn and Wes stopped it with their hands. They were about to step in when Liza raised her eyebrow at them and Angel glared.

"We'll take the next one…" Wes said catching the hint and allowed the doors to close.

/

Fred and her team were surrounding the sarcophagus taking notes and documenting everything about it before they dove into opening it.

In a matter of minutes that was done and now it was time to open it… except that, they could not figure out how that was done and she didn't want to destroy it in the process by using some kind of machinery. She was at tentatively looking it over at the top… inspecting the odd insignia on it as she ran her finger on it when it opened releasing a gas…

Fred stepped back coughing and waving her hands in front of her as she tried to rid herself of the dust.

"What the hell…" she coughed "was that…?"

/

Angel had the urge to just grab Isis and pull her against him as he kissed her senseless… had this situation been different and the atmosphere wasn't laced with a tenseness that could be cut through with a knife… he would have done that. But instead… they stood in his penthouse living room awkwardly waiting for the other to speak…

Angel was the one to finally speak up, "Um Isis… so down there… you…"

"Killed him…" she filled in.

"Yeah… I noticed, so this power that you have I mean… so you are…?"

"I can't tell you…" she said with an apologetic expression, "there is only one person I am allowed to tell…"

He nodded, "and who's that?"

She raised her gaze to meet his and said, "um… whoever is to be my… my… my husband…"

"Oh…" he said disappointed.

Not wanting to think more about that small little detail at the moment, even if he was her soul mate, because otherwise her power wouldn't off have been triggered. She wanted to make sure that he wanted to be with her… on his own. Not just because she'd found out what they were to each other was she going to force him to be with her.

She stepped close to him and said, "It's not true you know…"

He looked up at her confused as she continued, "that you can't have what you want…" she said shyly.

Angel's eyes opened wide in understanding… the note he'd left on her desk. His eyes filled with longing and emotion and all she could do was gaze at him… his eyes were locked on hers so intensely that she was stuck in place.

He closed the distance between them pulling her slowly into an embrace as if giving her a chance to pull back, but she didn't. The moment his arms settled around her… she felt her lips part as a sigh escaped her. His chocolate brown eyes boring into her honey ones as his lips descended to capture hers… the moment they touched he could have sworn the earth moved. It was sweet and needy at first, but it had quickly turned passionate… bodies pressed against each other, her fingers scraping at his hair pulling him closer as his settled on her hips, pulling her flush against him…

The motion made her hum in satisfaction eliciting a growl from him… he began to walk her to the door of his bedroom as she began to fumble with clothes…

God, this couldn't be happening… he thought, it had to be a dream… a really fantastic dream, but a dream none the less…

"Hmmm…" she moaned, it had been a while for her and the way his hands were roaming along her body, removing every item of clothing, as his mouth and tongue assaulted her neck and skin, had her desperately aching for him. She couldn't understand the consuming fire taking over her body…

"Isis…" he groaned as he pushed the door to his bedroom open as he picked her up and set her on his bed. He settled himself over her… taking her lips once more in a fiery kiss. The moment she began to reach for him to relieve the pressure building up inside, made him come to his senses…

He had felt like his heart practically began to beat from the emotions going through him with her… this had happened once before and it hadn't end well… with someone else and it had led to a lot of people dying.

He suddenly stopped as he pulled back enough to look into her eyes while saying apologetically, "I can't…"


	11. Chapter 11

_**Wow... so that took a lot longer than I thought... But I totally think that it is coming together nicely... Again, thank you to any of those of you who are still reading. I hope that you like this chapter and please review. On me move... oh and be warned that this chapter has somewhat of the smut, I tried to keep it light. Okay Enjoy :)**_

* * *

Chapter 11

Liza gazed at up him panting and somewhat in disbelief… had she really thought that she would get a happily ever after with him? Half naked there… laying on a bed with him. So… processing the scene, she looked up from under him with a flash of hurt in her eyes…

"I… I uh… I understand…" she said attempting to remover herself from him.

"No… no…" he said stopping her before she figured this situation wrong, "It's not that I don't want _you_- TO, I mean, it's just… I care for you too much…"

"Too much…?" she questioned, that made no sense.

"Yes…" he said caressing her cheek; "_too_ much…" he pressed his lips lightly against hers and sat on his bed, bringing her up next to him; making sure she just wouldn't run off.

"Angel… you don't have to explain anything... really, I unders…" he pressed a finger against her lips to quiet her.

"Yes… I do…" he took a deep breath, as he was about to have the conversation that he figured he would have had with Buffy, had he been aware of his curse, "I have a long past… I'm sure you know most of it, and with this past I've had to deal with, well… a curse…"

He paused, the feeling of 'here we go again' began to hit him… same issues as before. He could lose his soul, he could not give her a normal human life, couldn't give her children, so why was he doing this again…?

She was beginning to see where this was going. Angel was considering the possibility that she could provide him with _that_ moment of pure happiness that could make him lose his soul. He was about to continue when she said…

"I know…"

He looked at her shock stricken… "How…?"

"Fred and I have gotten really close since my start here…" she smiled, "she um… she could tell my attraction for you was strong and said that I should probably be aware of what I was getting into."

"Wow… so Fred, huh?" he voiced, "So what else did my dear friend say…"

"Enough…" she said softly, "she mentioned your curse… your past, how much you've suffered, and she told me about Buffy…"

Angel stiffened… it didn't matter how much time had passed, or how he'd decided to leave Buffy behind him. She would always hold a place in his dead heart. He swallowed visibly and said…

"Then you can understand my fear of hurting you…" he told her, "not that I have been a monk since her, but nobody had made me feel like she had _then_ and like _you_ do _now_…"

Liza could see the terrible worry in his eyes…

"I thought…." He stopped, "I thought that even with the way I feel about you… that it wouldn't be enough to push me to lose my… my soul… but right now, the way you were kissing me…" he whispered hoarsely at the memory, "with your body pressed against me, my emotions running high, soon… I began to feel it…" he said sadly, "like something was being ripped away from me…" he said thoughtfully, "like I could lose myself to you… and I just can't bear the thought of you…"

She stopped him from talking with a kiss…

"I… know…" she whispered against his lips in a needy way, "but can I ask you something?" she questioned hopeful.

He could feel himself getting aroused from her tone and the proximity of her limited covered body… he nodded for her to continue…

"Do you trust me…?" she asked, hazel brown eyes looking up at him in expectation.

"I do…" he answered honestly.

"Good…" she said pleased while crawling up to straddle him and take possession of his lips in a controlling manner…

He groaned involuntarily at her attentive mouth, letting his hands roam her body… the kiss quickly grew passionate as she began to work on ridding him of his boxers. The moment he realized where this was headed, he grabbed her hands to stop her and looked up at her questionably…

"Trust me…" she repeated…

Angel didn't know if he should… if they went through with it, a lot of people could get hurt and Wolfram & Hart might just get what they've been wanting all along. Her amorous eyes though, called to his soul for trust… so after a moment, reluctantly, he released his hold on her hands…

She peeled his boxers off revealing his proud arousal, her heart accelerated in anticipation of what she desperately needed. She continued to kiss him… him reacting to her by pulling her body closer… hands exploring, touching, wanting, caressing… every crease and delicate part of her body… He was rewarded with her moans of satisfaction and though he was scared to continue… he let himself go…

He growled in playful pleasure… kissing her back like it was his last time, feeling all of her… she was desperately ready from him, and with his new enthusiasm… she grabbed his erection, pumping it lightly while then bringing it to her core… she allowed him to make the last decision, and him deciding to trust her… he plunged in eagerly…

Their groans of being connected with each other filled the room as he began to thrust against her awaiting heat… riding him into oblivion as he thrust up pleasurably into her, stroke after stroke, bodies moving in synch… they came simultaneously… it'd been heated, it'd been passionate, and it _was_ love…

Liza collapsed sated onto his muscled sweat covered chest… as he wound his arms around her. He loved her… he realized, really and truly loved her… and he was fine, everything was fine…

Just then… after seconds of relaxing… Angel felt it… his chest painfully constrict, much like after Buffy, but WAY sooner… Liza felt his body stiffen, his member still embedded in her, as he strained to voice something out…

"Isis…" he cried painfully, "GO…"

She looked up at him realizing this was the moment she'd been waiting for… she sat up from his chest; she placed a hand over his unbeating heart and began chanting in Egyptian language…

Angel felt the pain quickly subside, a sense of calm and peace settle within him as Isis held her hand firmly against his chest, her skin glowing… her hair turning gold… and her eyes lighten… He saw the flash of crown on her head with marks of very heavy Egyptian eyeliner when all of a sudden it was all gone.

Liza removed herself from him and laid against his side…

He sat up quickly… he didn't feel evil, what the hell happened?

"Isis…?" he pulled her face to look at him, "what…?"

"I bound your soul to you…" she said, like it was no big deal….

"But how…?"

"I can't…" she hesitated, "I can't tell you unless…"

"I _am_ your husband…" he said desperately, and then they both just went silent. What the hell… I am her husband? Was he just answering her question or was he stating that he was indeed her husband? But we haven't… why would he…? He then remembered his dream… a second chance… new destiny, new love, _a soul mate…_

"I…" Angel began…

Liza was taken… she knew he _could_ be her husband, they were soul mates after all, but the surprise declaration left her speechless.

"I meant… I mean, I want… I will… be your husband… should you chose…" he was rambling, what the hell was he saying, he couldn't take back his statement; it rang true!

"I love you…" she blurted out throwing herself at him, "and yes… I want you to be my husband…"

He hugged her back and kissed just as excitedly while saying, "Thank God… I mean, I love you too…"

Liza pulled back a little and said, "So… are we really…. Getting married?"

"Yes…" he told her.

"So… when…?" she began.

"Whenever you want…"

"Now's good for me…" she smiled brightly.

"You're serious…?" Angel said shocked.

Liza face of excitement fell and she said, "No… you're right… we should probably…"

He cut her off, "Now's good…" he grinned, "but I don't ever want to see that pouty face again…"

She grinned again, "Okay…"

"So… I think we should… I don't know… get dressed to do this…?" he said playfully, "I'm all for 'el fresco' outfit but…"

"Noh…" she said appalled, getting off the bed picking up her clothes, "Let's change… meet in your office or mine… in an hour?"

He nodded… he loved to see her this happy…

"You should bring a witness…" she said pecking him on the lips and rushing to her place.

/

In another part of Wolfram & Hart… Wes was being paiged to the Science Division as Fred wasn't feeling well. He hurried to her… he didn't know why he just had a bad feeling that something was going very, very wrong…

Wes rushed into the Science Division, straight to Fred's office… she'd sent everyone out of her office, feeling lightheaded and like at any minute she could faint… the last thing she saw… was Wesley going to her with concerned eyes as she coughed up blood and lost complete consciousness…

Wesley saw the pale look of his beloved's face and couldn't contain the pain he felt inside… "Fred…" he gasped as he noticed blood come from her mouth and push forward as she fainted.

He caught her in time for her to not hit the floor, and pulled her office phone to him to get a medical team there fast. Within minutes… the team was in the room, trying to asses what it is that was happening… they asked the other scientists what had happened and all they all were able to say was that they'd been studying the sarcophagus when she was doing something to it on top… some sort of dust or gas had escaped and she'd reeled back coughing.

They'd all mentioned that she'd been fine, but soon she was feeling faint and dizzy which is when Wes was called.

The medical team swiftly put her on a stretcher and took her to their mini health wing… on the way, Wes called Gunn and Lorne on their new cell phones… called Angel, whose phone went straight to voicemail and did the same with Liza. Spike caught the scene on their way and joined…

/

At City Hall…

"I now pronounce man and wife… you may kiss the bride…" the Justice of the Peace said.

Angel stepped forward to envelop his tiny wife, bringing her body up to his and kissed her thoroughly. When he pulled back, he asked…

"How do you feel Mrs. Elizabeth O'Connor-Callahan…?" Angel questioned.

"Like the luckiest girl in the world…" she smiled.

Christy yelled excitedly from behind her, "AH! Congratulations Liza…" she approached hugging them both.

"Yeah…" Connor said awkwardly, "Congrats…" he said shaking his father's hand, "hope you've found what you've been looking for…"

Angel smiled looking at Christy and Liza laugh, "I think I have…"

In the middle of all the excitement of getting married Angel and Liza alone with their two witnesses, Christy and Connor, Angel had turned off his phone. It was new… they'd all seemed to have the need to keep in touch with each other and getting the invented cell phones, seemed like the right thing to do.

He pressed the button for on, noticing that he had like thirty missed calls, and three messages…

Angel stepped away to listen to them…

The first had been from Wesley… "Angel! Something's happened… Fred's ill… we're taking her to the medical wing please meet me there when you get this…"

The second was from Gunn, "Where the hell are you?" he sounded desperate, "Fred's not well at all, you need to be here man… now…"

The third was from Lorne, "Angelsweets… you have to be here… where are you? Call us back…"

The last, believe it or not, was from Spike, "Look Angel moron… Fred's dying… we don't know what to do or how to fix this. Get here…"

Connor noticed his father's shocked face and turned to the three of them…

Liza had been laughing giddily when she heard Connor say, "What is it Dad…?" they both knew that Connor had gotten his memory back, but he'd decided to keep the life that Angel had built for him, but the look on his face worried him and he'd acted on instinct calling him father.

"Angel…?" Liza walked over to him, "Love…? Talk…"

"I uh… we gotta go… Fred's ill, dying… I'm not sure…"

"Let's go!" Liza said pulling Angel by his hand… Christy and Connor following closely behind them…


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hello awesome readers :) Sorry it took a while, I'm trying to update all my stories and it proves to be a hard task. Anyway... I really enjoyed writing this chapter, hope you will love it too. ;) And if its not too much to ask... please review.**_

_**Reviews make my day :) Thank you again for reading!**_

* * *

Chapter 12

Liza, Angel and burst through the medical wings frantically looking for the rest of his team… Spike was the first to notice and approached him quickly…

"Where the bloody hell have you been…?" Spike all but growled at him.

"None of your fucking business… now tell me how's Fred…" Angel snarled in return.

Liza placed a hand on Angel's shoulder, whispering his name softly as if to trying to get him to come down. He felt himself relax at bit but still glaring at Spike…

"Finally…" Gunn approached, "what took you so long… things aren't, well…"

By this time Spike noticed the wedding band on Liza's finger while swiftly scanning down to Angel's and rolled his eyes, this was the freaking reason he'd not been available for Fred's emergency?

"Unfreaking believable…" he muttered leaving their side.

Liza looked to Gunn confused, "What is wrong with him…?"

Gunn sighed, "I think that Spike really cares about Fred and he's really worried… I mean, we're all worried, but he's…"

"What. Happened?" Angel questioned, he still hadn't gotten his answer.

Lorne approached then a sad look in his face, "She's dying…" he spoke softly, "all we know is that it has to do with the sarcophagus that arrived and whatever it is that escaped from there, is draining the life out of her…"

"Take me… I want to see her…" Angel voiced, he couldn't believe this was happening.

Christy and Connor walked in then, panting like they'd been running.

"How's Fred…?" Connor asked quickly not hiding the worry in his tone.

Angel made a gesture for him to follow them, and the four guys went through the double doors leading to the patient's rooms. He looked back to Liza as she mouthed she'd be right there… seeing them leave, she turned to her friend, practically a sister if she took into account the relationship they had before she had moved and gave her a weak smile.

"I think something terribly horrible is about to happen and I really need a favor from you…?" Liza told her.

"Anything…" Christy said approaching, she could tell this must be some sort of secret by the hesitant sound of her voice, "whatever I can do to help… you can trust me…" she encouraged.

"I know I can…" Liza grinned, "please head to my condo… under the bed, attached to the wooden frame will be a small box…" Christy nodded, "bring it to me… and hurry…" Liza said urgently.

Christy squeezed her friend's hand and rushed out of there, in the meantime… Liza went through the doors in search of the entire group. She was beginning to wonder if they'd ever catch a break… it seemed that just when they could achieve perfect happiness, her and Angel, something else was always going to hell.

/

Gunn's physical features had completely shifted from earlier… he was still concerned for his friend and ex-lover, but the comment by Lorne of the discovery that this had to do with the sarcophagus, began to eat him inside.

I mean, there was no way that that sarcophagus would be the same one that he allowed into the country when he'd gone to receive an upgrade to his faulty brain one now fixed. He felt his heart clench… if this was happening because of him and Fred did die, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Angel was perched over the other side of the bed as Wesley was holding Fred's hand on the right… Wes was so consumed with grief and his inability to do anything to save her that he hadn't noticed the comings and goings of people…

He'd only realized Angel had arrived when he questioned…

"How did this happen…?" he asked gently.

Wesley looked up… he looked physically in pain from the emotions pouring out of him… "I don't know… I'm sure it has to do with the ancient sarcophagus received, but even with my intense knowledge and research… I've been helpless to do anything to save her…"

Unashamed tears ran down his cheeks…

"I'm losing her Angel…" Wes cried some more.

Angel got up to place his hand over his shoulder in a comforting manner… he was about to ask about more information, when Fred coughed up some more blood and started gasping for air…

"Fred, my darling…" Wes got up quick to cradle her face lovingly, "I'm here… you're okay… I'm gonna fix this…" he hoped knowing it was a lie.

Fred attempted to give him a smile through the consuming pain her body felt to try and make him feel better. His mouth spoke of reassuring words, but his eyes spoke volumes of defeat. There was just no fixing this, she need to come to terms with the idea that she was dying…

Liza walked in then… she placed her hand over her heart over the sight of Fred's dying body. But what startled her most was the clear spirit form of Illyria trying to take over her body. She glared at her and Illyria smiled evilly as she attempted to get into Fred's body once more.

Fred was strong… and every time Illyria attempted the merge, Fred would cough and convulse trying to fight her as much as she could. Liza could tell that she was fighting a losing battle, but could tell that her personality was very much in thought that if she was going to go down, she was not going to go down without a fight.

Christy burst in then handing the box to Isis… that startled everyone making them face both girls at the entrance. Liza glanced at Angel, walking to his side while saying…

"We don't have much time… get everyone out of here…?" she smiled reassuringly.

Angel had had the flash of uncertainty pass through him, but the moment she smiled and gave him that look. He knew that she could fix this…

Angel gave her a small nod and headed for Wes… he would be the one to fight…

"Everyone out of here…" Angel ordered, Gunn, Connor and Lorne were taken by his demanding tone but at the sight the something was happening, they left without a word. Gunn was itching to leave and find out if this was his fault, and Lorne could do nothing but listen since he was scared of the boss. Connor just knew he should probably go, but not far… he wanted to make sure that Fred was going to be okay.

Spike had seen the look between Liza and Angel, and somehow felt that they had a plan and if that saved the only person that had ever been nice to him, then he would go… so with that and left. Wesley was still giving Angel a look of 'are you out of you mind' but since they had no time for this… Angel was determined to throw him over his shoulder and take him out himself if he wasn't going to make things easy.

But Liza stepped in front of him… opened her palm as if blowing something from it to his face… there was some sort of light golden dust coming from it, and he suddenly was falling off the chair asleep.

Angel caught him before he hit the floor and dragged him out amazed by his wife… he smirked at that… _his_ _wife_… what the hell, he caught himself, there were troubled times. He could rejoice on that fact later.

Christy left behind Angel knowing that Liza needed to be alone to do whatever it is she intended to do.

/

Liza turned back to a vaguely conscious Fred as Illyria hovered on top crossing her ghostlike arms at her…

"Illyria…" Liza said with poison in her tone.

"Ah, cousin Isis…" she smirked already looking like Fred in her ghost form, "it's so good to see you…"

"Says who?" Liza spat getting closer.

"What's with the tone…" she feigned hurt, "we are family after all…"

"Not by choice… and not to me…"

"That's true…" Illyria said, "you are but a cheap copy of my real cousin…"

"Whatever you say…" Liza said now by Fred's side while pulling a blood red Ruby from her box and chanting a hiding spell. The moment the area seemed secure from all eyes, Liza was about to argue with her again when she said…

"You can't stop this…" Illyria smiled… "she's almost all mine…"

"I'm not going to let you…" she growled.

"There's only one way to stop this and I doubt you'll go through with it…" she paused, "and so you know… if you kill me, which I know you can, she will die too…"

Liza felt cornered… how could she save her friend without giving Illyria access to this realm, passage to this world. As if she knew what she was thinking, Illyria voiced…

"You can't…" she smirked.

Liza could hear Fred hanging on by a thread to life so she needed to make up her mind… the moment that Liza heard Fred give one last gasp, she made up her mind. As much as she hated allowing her to win, she was going to have to give in to her as she was too much into Fred and killing one _would_ kill the other.

A light bulb suddenly went on in her brain, but that didn't mean that she would allow her to have all her power… she would limit it. So with that last thought in mind she grabbed a scalpel by the nurse's desk, she cut through her hand painfully to draw out blood, and extended her hand out to the ghost.

The moment Illyria's hand connected to hers… there was a hand in blue grip on hers as Illyria began to get a body of her own as the life essence of Fred, returned to her body. Liza had been chanting under her breath, until she felt her body hang… heard a wall explode and a startled jolting gasp.

/

Angel had heard an explosion scaring him half to death for the love of his life, so without caring if she got upset, he burst through the door… practically throwing himself to catch a fainting Isis.

"Baby…" he yelled as he caught her cradling her to his body…

Fred looked around her disoriented and taking in the sight of Angel on the floor with Liza, while there was a huge hole on the wall…

"What's happening…?" she questioned.

Wesley rushed in after finally regaining consciousness, he wasn't even sure how he'd lost it, but at the sight of a clearly alive Fred looking around like she was lost, he ran to her to hug her as tightly as possible.

He pulled back inspecting her face, "How is this? I mean, you look… God…" he kissed her harshly on the lips, "you're alive…" Wes grinned.

"And breathing…" Fred said clearly confused, "am I not usually?"

"You don't remember…?" he stared in awe.

Angel stood then pulling Liza close to his body, "Hello?" he said a bit annoyed. I mean yes he was glad Fred was fine now, but his woman had just fainted, something had happened or escaped… clearly through the wall and someone needed to do something about it.

"In case you guys haven't noticed…" he paused, "huge hole on the wall means evil escaping or running…"

Wes and Fred stared stunned and then Fred was the one to jump of the bed like nothing had happened while saying…

"Right… I'll call on the security team to search the building and we'll check the cameras to see what we're after…" Fred ranted.

Spike walked in then and went straight to Fred giving her a hug… Fred had been so taken by his display of affection that she froze.

"So glad you're okay love…" Spike whispered pulling back.

"Thanks?" Fred said, she still had no clue what was going on.

They all heard Angel growl, "Hole, Wall, Evil… GO!"

Fred nodded and left in haste with Wesley and Spike at her toes. Angel had the faint suspicion that now that she was okay, they were all probably going to glue themselves to her side to make sure nothing happened to her again.

He then called for a nurse, asking her to bring some alcohol…

"Is she going to be okay…?" Connor asked.

"Yeah…" Angel assured, "it seems she's just faint, but if you wanna help… could you help them go after, whatever it is we're after?"

"Sure…" Connor nodded, then left.

Angel passed the cotton filled with alcohol near her nose to bring Liza out of her state… "Come on baby, open your eyes…"

Liza the scrounged up her nose in disgust while turning her head away… "Ugh… what the…" she began when she remembered Illyria escape. "Illyria!" she screamed.

"Who?" Angel questioned, "is that the name of the Demon?"

"She'd not a Demon and yes… I gave her life to save Fred's…" she smiled guiltily.

"Don't be ashamed my love… you did a good thing here. You just have to tell me what we're dealing with so I can find out how to kill her…."

Liza sighed, that wasn't going to be possible but he was going to find out soon enough.

"Can we just… get out of here…? I'm not feeling too well…" she avoided his question.

"Of course…" he replied, sweeping her off her feet going in the direction of their homes.

"I can walk you know…" she grinned wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Absolutely not… plus…" he kissed her on the cheek, "don't I get to carry my bride back into our room…?"

She rolled her eyes playfully and just allowed him to do as he wished.


	13. Chapter 13

_**So okay :) I totally love this chapter... it's shifting things to the awesome finale I have in mind and I am just totally excited to reveal it to you. Anyway, thank you for giving this story a shot, and now...**_

_**Enjoy & Please Review!**_

* * *

Chapter 13

Angel set her down on his comfortable bed giving her a chaste kiss on the lips, as he stepped away to bring her something to drink.

He was back in a flash... a glass of lemonade and small cup of fruit in hand. He set it on the night stand for her while saying...

"You should eat or drink something... I didn't like one bit the fact that you fainted..."

Liza smiled, gracing her hand on his cheek, Angel instinctively leaning into her touch, "I'm fine... it was just probably part of this whole magic ordeal..."

As she reached for the glass of lemonade he swiftly picked it up first, bringing it to her himself as he settled closer to her...

She drank slowly... as he stared at her with love in his eyes...

"Is it so wrong of me to worry about you...?" he smiled tenderly.

"No..." she grinned, "but I'm not a delicate little flower that needs protecting and you mister..." she pressed her finger to his chest, "need to remember that..."

She then reached for a grape from the fruit cup, popping it into her mouth while adding, "and by the way, since when are you all domesticated having real food and drinks that you actually don't need..."

Angel smirked at that, "I hoped you'd visit sometime and I wanted to be prepared..."

"Aww..." she pushed herself away from the headboard to wrap her hands around his neck and kissed him passionately with gratitude at his thoughtfulness.

His arms swiftly wrapped around her waist... pulling her off of the bed and onto his lap as he deepened the kiss, desire brewing quickly... he pulled back annoyed that he couldn't finish this, with both of them naked in bed and looked at her in apology...

"Oh no..." she pouted jokingly, "what now...?"

He tenderly nudged his nose lovingly to hers in Eskimo kisses a couple of times, before his lips formed a small smile and said...

"I need you to tell me who Illyria is and how we can get rid of her...?" he placed one kiss on her lips, then pulled back to wait for her reply.

Liza sighed in disapproval and sat back, "Illyria is one of the Old ones..." she paused, "they are related to the Gods and Goddesses such as my ancestor Isis. So... she's powerful especially in her original form, which I can tell you is not pleasant, but I was able to allow her into earth without all of that power..."

"Which should make it easy for us to kill her, right?" he asked.

"Not really..." she said quietly, "she is... sort of like me, a goddess for all intents and purposes; only someone like _me_can kill her but not without killing myself."

Angel's eyes widened in fear...

"BUT..." she grinned tenderly reaching for his hand, "as time goes by and her body adjusts to earth... there will more humanity in her and then we would be able to get rid of her like any other Demon on this earth..."

"Oh good..." Angel breathed out a gulp of air he didn't even realize he was holding...

Someone then burst through the front entrance of his condo followed by growing chattering... so okay, not someone, but plenty someone's, he corrected in his mind.

"Rest a little my love..." Angel grinned, "let me deal with my barging friends..."

Liza made a move to follow him but at his stern stare... she settled back on the bed, rolling her eyes at him in a smiled.

/

Angel walked out of his room to find Connor, Wes, Lorne, Spike and Fred arguing over he stared, something, he couldn't make out what. But then he heard Fred yell...

"Stop!" he hands out on the side of her, urging them to shut up.

They stopped... she then took a breath and continued...

"I understand I apparently almost died, but I am still part of this team, danger is just a part of it so deal with it, _and_I will be coming with you to get rid of this bitch that tried to kill me..."

They all went in shock at hearing her cuss, but then Wes went up to her with a book pointing into it... "THIS is what we're dealing with... _she_could kill you, I could lose you, I could..."

"Wesley's right sweetness..." Lorne voiced, "Let the manly man do their job..."

Fred glared and was about to say something when Gunn, walked in... Announcing, "This beast is going to try and open the portal to her temple and resurrect her army, we gotta _go_..."

"What!" Spike questioned with furrowed eyebrows, "and what reliable source do you have…"

"It doesn't matter…" Gunn argued, "we don't have that much time…"

Angel strutted in then, quickly calling out orders… "Alright this is how it's going to work… Gunn, Wesley, Spike are with me, Fred… you're sitting this one out to care for my wif-Isis," he corrected, "Connor…" he stared at him, "go home… and Lorne, make sure the office is being run properly while I'm out. Okay? Let's go…"

Fred was going to argue once more, but when Angel glowered at her fiercely… she sighed and went to the bedroom where she assumed Liza was. She needed to thank her anyway, so this would work out.

/

The four front men who made up Angel's team, hurried to the location of where the temple was hidden in a different time plane. As they drove in urgency, Wesley was able to determine that she had closed the gateway to the entrance of the temple where frozen in time, her army also awaited.

Running to the entrance of the temple… collapsed on the floor the four of them found the carbon copy of Fred in an odd practically naked blue suit, she seemed devastated to have found her temple destroyed to nothing but dust on the ground.

Her high priest, Knox, went up to her trying to comfort her and tell her that he would help her recruit a new one, but out of anger… she pushed her hand through his chest, ripping out his heart.

Angel approached carefully to come face to face with the demon… "It's over Illyria…" he voiced, "there's nothing for you here anymore. This isn't your world and…"

"But we can help you…" Gunn put in coming closer, "we can help you adjust, you can help us…"

That seemed to catch her attention and snapped her head up to glare at them… "How dare you speak to me like I'm an equal… I do NOT need your help…" she got off of the ground and began to head for the exit…

When Wesley and Spike tried to stop her… she grabbed them by the neck, picking them up in the air, and throwing them into the distance like they were weightless nothings. As Angel and Gunn went to make sure they were okay and stared to where she should be walking through, she was gone…

Well that was more than unhelpful, what the hell were they going to do with an entitled _Old One _on the loose.

/

Fred walked into the room where Liza had pulled the remote out to the very fancy cabinet where the flat screen TV was hidden…

"Hey…" Liza said to Fred as she came in.

"Hey back at you…" she answered, a friendly smile on her face, she walked to where she was laying, sitting on the small couch by the bed, "So I heard you kind of saved my life…"

Liza grinned; "Yeah well…" she shrugged…

Fred chuckled then stared at her seriously, "Thank you…" she nodded, "I wasn't ready to go, so thank you for that…"

"There's no need for that thanks…" Liza said seriously, "I consider you a friend and I would do that and more for one of my friends…"

"Of course I consider you a friend too…" Fred approached her sitting on the side of her bed while taking her hand. She was about to say something else when she noticed the wedding band on her finger, "Oh God… did you, are you, I mean…"

Liza's smiled stretched infinitely wider and Fred knew her answer, "Oh my God, FINALLY… someone to complete his life." She hugged her, "You guys are going to be so good together…" she thought of something then and pulled back to question, "It _is_ Angel, right?"

"Yes…" she laughed at her expression," and I also hope we're good together…"

"You are…" Fred paused, "Though now that I think about it, I'm a bit hurt to have not been part of the event…"

"Well…" Liza rushed to explain, "it was a last second decision and we didn't really tell anybody, I mean, of course I would have invited you if we were going to…" she rambled.

"It's okay…" Fred grinned, "but at the very least we should have a nice celebratory dinner with all us that care for the both you…"

"That would be nice…" she mused.

"More than nice…" Fred agreed as she stood and picked up the lemonade glass, "anyway, I promised _your husband_ Mrs. O'Connor," Liza beamed at that, "that I'd take good care of you so is there anything I can get you?"

"Not at all…" she answered, "just the company would be nice…"

"Kay…" she agreed, "but at least I'll refill your lemonade and then maybe we can watch something together…"

Liza nodded and watched her leave the bedroom.

/

By the time Angel came back to his penthouse, he found Fred reading a book as a very sound asleep Isis peacefully snuggled in his bed. Fred looked up from her book a sweet smile on her face… she got up putting her finger to her lips, indicating Isis was sleeping. Angel rolled his eyes at the obviousness and then they stepped out of the room together.

"Thank you for staying and watching over her…" Angel whispered, then he suddenly hugged her to him while adding, "I am so glad you're okay…"

Fred smiled, "Thank your wife again for me…" she said knowingly and Angel's face lit up.

"You know…" he questioned softly, but then gasped at her punching him on the chest… "hey!"

"I can't believe you didn't include us…" Angel's face turned apologetic, "so I plan to make up for that…" she warned.

He grinned and nodded, "whatever you say…"

"Good…" she whispered back, "I'm gonna…" she made a gesture to leave and Wesley was already waiting for her. She would have rolled her eyes at his over protectiveness, but the emotion radiating from him in love, stopped her. In his eyes he had almost lost her and residue of that pain still clearly remained.

She walked over to him, kissing him passionately while whispering in his ear that she would spend the night at his place. A comment to which he brighten up quickly, so with a quiet wave goodbye, they were gone…

Angel locked his door and headed back to his bedroom, quietly slipping out of his clothes. He wasn't going to worry about Illyria right now, and though he wasn't getting his wedding night, not that he was complaining, he planned to hold the woman he loved the whole night.

/

Isis felt the bed dip behind her as slightly chilly toned arms encircled her body possessively… her body reacted to his touch. She felt chills run through her and would have assumed they were because she was cold, but the truth was that their love seemed to spark lustful yearn the moment they were even remotely close to each other.

She gasped at the feel of his breath tickling her shoulder and he smiled, placing an open mouthed kiss on her while whispering… "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you…"

His tone was supposed to come out apologetic and yet, his remark came out hoarsely and laced with want…

She turned in his arms to face him, desire hazel filled orbs gazing at him as her lips parted in reply… "Why don't I believe that's true…?"

A devilish smirk spread over his luscious lips, right before his head dipped to capture her lips with his… her lips already parting in invitation, allowing his tongue to dart out and taste every inch of her mouth. She moaned at his thorough ministrations as his arms wrapped more securely around her, bringing her up to straddle him and getting rid of her clothes…

Their kisses growing in passion as their hands roamed over their burning bodies in anticipation… before he knew it, Isis had slipped her hand into his boxers to take firm hold of him, while stroking him slowly… He groaned his approval into her mouth, making a trail of light kisses as he nipped tenderly at her skin, all the way down to the valley of her absolutely perfect breasts…

The moment he palmed one of them and took the other rosy peak into his mouth, he growled at her hiss of appreciation as she tightened her grip and began stroking him faster.

"My love…" Isis voiced, aching desperately to feel him in her… she knew he was more than ready as glossy drops spilled out of his member's head.

Angel grasped at her hips in craving, allowing his fingers to trace along the length of her nether lips, groaning into her mouth at how wet she was, as she'd cupped the side of his face with her free hand to pull him to her for a kiss. Still stroking his member she raised her hips to put herself in place… pushing down on to him as he pushed up to bury himself inside…

"God, yes…" Angel groaned at her wet core hugging him as she began to ride him slow but hard. Not long after… from the stressful yet emotional day, thrust after delicious thrust, Isis began to rotate her hips which made him twitch ready to burst in delight, so he increased his speed… pushing deeper inside, while rubbing her clit furiously…

They both came at the same time to their astounding peak of bliss… the name of each other coming out in pants from their lips, like the answered prayer they felt it was.

Enraptured in the afterglow of their love making… Isis body blissfully collapsed on his chest, he caressed her sweat covered skin, "Glad we had our honeymoon…" he chuckled lightly.

She looked up with a playful glare in her eyes… "Is _this_ all you wanted…?"

He hugged her up to him, to be able to press his lips to hers and whispered… "I'm not dignifying that with an answer…" he grinned.

At least for the meantime, they got to forget that there is a psycho blue looking Fred clone running around the streets of LA.


	14. Chapter 14

_**And getting and getting closer to the end :) still don't have a definitate amount of chapters left to come, but surely closer to the end of this lovely story. Thank you again for reading and reviewing :) You guys are awesome and onto the next chapter.**_

_**Happy Reading!**_

* * *

Chapter 14

Liza was lying with a cold towel to her head after the night's event… It had been weeks since they had seen Illyria and though they were still on the search for her, they still had not found her. There was no way that she could survive in this world so they were sure someone was helping her.

So how was she laying here…? Two weeks after their search had gone unsuccessful… Fred had voiced that whether we liked it or not, she was planning a small wedding re-enactment for those of them that had wanted to be there. At first both she and Angel had been reluctant, but with her, Lorne, and Ilona's encouragement… they had decided to go through with it.

Tonight had been that day and it had all been great up until dinner… They had had a small renewal of vows, a reception in which she'd gotten sick, and a dance. Fred had literally gone all out renting a hotel to have all three things _after_ the sun had gone down of course…

God… she still remembered the wave of disgusting nausea that filled her when the dinner course had been brought, who knows what king of fish it had been but the moment the smell hit her nose… she was running for the bathroom. She'd pucked her guts out and she would have thought nothing of it until her aunt came in and enlightened her with the news… she… was pregnant.

Liza had about almost flipped out with the revelation because first of all… how could she know. Second of all, she was married to a freaking vampire… she was sure he was shooting blanks which is why she'd never taken care of herself, and third… it was just crazy…

Ilo had told her that she should go to the doctor and check but she was ecstatic about the news. She'd voiced the reason she was so sure about it was because her mother had had the same reaction to sea food when she was pregnant with her. And about Angel being a vampire… Ilo told her that this had nothing to do with his capability but her desire for it… One of the Goddess Isis' powers was that of fertility, so her getting pregnant if she'd wanted it was no problem; and that bit of information had been true. The more her love for Angel grew, the more she wished she could have a family with him. Apparently wanting it enough… could make it happen, and though she was yet to have medical confirmation… she wasn't sure how she knew but the fact was that she was probably indeed pregnant.

Ilo had promised to visit again as she had only enough time to come for the small event and then she was expected back, though she had promised that she'd be back to meet her great-nice or nephew…

But how would Angel react to this… would he be happy, be scared, be mad, would he freak out, want to leave, or what?

Well first things first… she needed to get checked and then she would go from there…

Angel came back with Saltine crackers and a coke sitting next to her on the bed… "Fred said the crackers will help the nausea and something about the coke's sugar helping settle your stomach…"

Liza giggled at his attentiveness, "Well okay then…" she took the crackers and started munching on them as he took the now warm towel from her head to get it cold again. It seemed to help so he was right on it…

As he soaked the towel in iced water he thought about the rest of the evening… they had still enjoyed their time after she'd gotten sick, but she had been more aware of her surroundings and food, making her distracted. He had asked what was wrong but she kept on saying she was okay… which he knew was a lie but since she wasn't feeling well, he wasn't going to push… not tonight at least.

/

When Gunn wasn't in court on Wolfram & Hart business… he was out searching for Illyria. He was the lead on this investigation since he was the one obsessing more about it. A big part of that was that he felt guilty about Fred's almost death and he felt it his duty to find her.

The last of his leads had led him to an abandoned building… a tip from a demon in constant search of new hide outs. So there he was, in the middle of the day… heading to said building hoping to find the blue faced Old One…

Gunn had barely made it inside when he was suddenly off the floor, his neck straining for oxygen, as Fred's carbon copy stared with malice… "You filthy human… what do you want…?" Illyria questioned.

He tried to respond but that was tough seeing as she was strangling his wind pipe…

Illyria seemed to take a strainfull breath and dropped him to the ground… Gunn was getting off his feet… rubbing at his now sore throat when he heard her say…

"Are you here to witness my downfall… see what I have become in this pathetic piece of dimension…?"

"No…" he whispered softly, "I really want to help… why won't you let us…?"

She glared in his direction, but trying in her head to decide for herself if trusting this human would be smart. She decided she knew she was still stronger than many and most demons, though her body seemed to continue to diminish in power as she adjusted to this plane, but would she continue to wonder the filthy streets of LA or would she finally just give in and allow this human man to help her…

"Fine…" was all that came out of her mouth, "you are kind of pleasing to the eye…"

Gunn chuckled at that… well it didn't matter why she was doing it, all that mattered was that he had found her and that she was willing to come back with him. He started to lead the way when he realized that he couldn't walk around the city with a blue looking person like her…

He turned around to face her then… "So um… first lesson… I'm going to have to come back for you because most humans aren't accustomed to well… you looking like this…"

Illyria gave him a skeptical look but then transformed into someone that could have been Willow's sister. He remembered her from when they called her to help with Angelus, and looking at Illyria now with shocked eyes… he smiled staring appreciatively… she had red fiery wavy hair going down to her waist, violet blue colored eyes, fair complexion that contrasted well with her Smokey outlined eyes, and peach covered lips… she was dressed in jeans, tennis shoes, and simple t-shirt… of all things…

She was raising and eye brow at his roaming eyes then said, "Are we going…?"

Gunn swallowed visibly, "Um… sure, I mean yeah, let's…" Where the hell had she gotten the idea to look like this, I mean how was he going to help her without falling for her…? Like he needed anymore problems in his life…

They were now in the side walk strolling by the buildings when they finally made it back to civilization. She jumped at the sight of people since being this close to humans without actually intending to kill them was kind of creepy for her… She noticed couples walking around holding hands and assuming that was the norm of fitting in… she grabbed Gunn's hand, entwining her fingers through his.

Gunn stared at their hands then up to her face shocked… as she gave him what he could only assume was a smile. Something caught her attention in front of them and when he looked… he noticed the couple coming towards them as they passed them, and she mimicked the woman's attentions…

He should have freaked and yet… he squeezed her hand tenderly, not that she'd know what that meant, and pulled her body closer to him… taking advantage of naïveté. Oh he was surely going to enjoy the whole walk back to W & H.

/

Returning from her doctor's appointment with a huge smile on her face… Liza waited in the elevator as it took her up to their offices. She wasn't sure how she would tell Angel but that was her plan today… march straight into his office while telling the man she loved that he was going to be a father… though now that she thought about it… This wasn't going to be very much news, there was Connor, something she had completely overlooked since he hadn't been back to visit. At least not that she'd noticed.

She decided to head to her office first and mull things over perhaps get caught up on her duties first before going in to see Angel, she approached Christi's desk smiling…

"Afternoon boss…" she joked as she saw her coming…

"Hello Christy…" she greeted, "let's go over the projects and I want the update files on the current investments I opened…"

"Yes, ma'am…" she said following inside with stacks of folders on her hands. They had just taken a seat to talk about business when her Ruby ring flickered at her ancient words and she turned to face her…

"I'm pregnant…" Liza practically squealed…

"AH!" her friend jumped from excitement heading her way to hug her, "but what was with the hocus pocus…" she questioned when she pulled back…

"Certain news I need to keep hidden… you know why…" Liza told her…

"Right 'cause the all seeing evil can't know, but you're going to show eventually…"

"Yeah, but the longer I can keep in hidden, the safer we'll be…" she rubbed her stomach absentmindedly… then releasing the power on the room, "Okay then so let's go through the files…"

Christy took her place again going through the files and beginning their update…

/

Angel had been going out of his mind at work recently… nothing felt right anymore and he working here felt like it was poisoning him. The only thing that he felt sure of in his life right now was Isis… going home to her had to be the best thing in the world for him. He would get to forget that he was trying to do good from inside the belly of the beast, though it felt like it was swallowing him whole…

Then like a revelation, something flicked like a light switch in his head…

_Power_… this business was about power and that's how he could bring Wolfram & Hart down once and for all.


	15. Chapter 15

_**I know, I know... I suck :( I noted on my profile page that this chapter would be up yesterday but I was a little sick, so I hope you forgive me. Now this chapter kind of changes the tone, I hope not too much and I hope you like it. Again... thank you for reading and please Review :)**_

* * *

Chapter 15

Liza gazed thoughtfully at the small token she'd picked up for Angel to announce to him the news of their child. It was a white gold bracelet that read 'Daddy's Baby.' Perhaps it was corny but when she'd left the doctor's office about a week ago… she'd passed by a jewelry store in which it seemed to catch her eye. She had planned to tell him that day giving him the bracelet, but something had been completely off…

She could still recall in her mind… she'd walked in unannounced to his office apparently in a meeting with their Senior Partners Liaison _Hamilton_, who both had looked up at her clearly upset by her intrusion.

"_Yes dear…" he'd looked up at her, a tone between sweet and sarcastic that he'd used…_

"_Just wanted to know if you had a minute…?" she had smiled lightly._

"_Is it work related because I'm kind of busy right now…" Angel had responded, as Hamilton waited impatiently._

"_No…" she'd answered hurt, "It's not… I guess I'll just talk to you later…" and he'd quickly agreed practically shoving her out of the office with his mannerisms. _

Being that she was more emotional than usual, hormones going all crazy and all, she'd practically cried that day. She remembered thinking that she would make sure they had a conversation that night about what was going on… but when that night, he hadn't come home.

This had seemed to be a repeat for the past 10 days, not giving her a chance or opportunity to talk. Who knows what he was doing after work since he wasn't with her and during work, he wasn't available to anyone… not even her.

A tear ran down her cheek when her phone rang…

"Elizabeth O'Connor…" she picked up answering her tone professional, masking well how she really felt. She nodded a couple of times before making a couple of notations on her appointment book while then agreeing she'd be on her way. She had just put the phone down, when this time it beeped with Christy on the other side of the line…

"Mrs. O'Connor…" she called, "I have Mr. O'Connor requesting to come in…"

Liza sighed painfully as she said, "tell him to come in…"

Angel knew this was probably the safest way to approach his wife knowing that he'd been acting like a complete ass hole these days. But this was the way it had to be… Wolfram & Hart was on high alert because they had gotten a tip that there was a traitor in the office but they hadn't been able to figure out who.

About a week ago he'd decided, with the unknown inspiration of the woman he loved, that he wasn't happy and that things needed to change, _he_ needed to change. The only way to accomplish that was to hit the Senior partners where it hurt, and where it _would_ hurt would be in removing the key players on earth that did all of their dirty work. That's how he'd come into contact with the Circle of the Black Thorn… pretending to want to be more powerful on earth.

He'd done things that he wasn't proud of and he'd used the death of his friends to lure them in and now… his initiation was in the works. He'd kept Isis in the dark because he didn't want her to get involved or worse, possibly get hurt. That would be something that he would not forgive himself for and not only that… he was sure that if something happened to her, he wouldn't survive it.

Tonight he was to take that last step to become part of their Circle, but he couldn't take it anymore… he _had_ to see her. He missed her like nothing he'd ever experienced before… Sometimes he thought he'd go insane but the only thing that kept him going was that _he_ _knew_ he was keeping her safe. His body needed her with every fiber of its being which is why the sooner he could execute this plan… the better.

Angel knew Isis was mad and hurt but he'd hoped that their relationship was strong enough to withstand what he was doing to her.

"Can I help you with something Mr. O'Connor…?" Liza her tone cold and detached as she tried to discreetly grab the box with the small piece of jewelry and put it in her purse; and since she _was_ angry… all she was going to be was proper with him and nothing else.

He noticed her tense at his presence and was avoiding looking at him… "No I just…" wanted to see you, kiss you, hug you, make love to you, all of the above… he thought desperately, "um… where are you going…?" he asked noticing she was grabbing her stuff to go, though he knew the answer..

"I have a meeting with some investors that I have to get to so… if there's nothing else…" she picked up her files, "I'm gonna…" she gestured for the door heading towards it.

He stopped her as she tried to pass him by whispering in her ear… "I'm sorry…" a wave of honesty filling her senses and her bones.

Loving this man as much as she did, unfortunately for her, made her literally… melt at his words. But this wasn't fair… he was hiding something from her and not only did that angered her; it hurt her that he didn't feel that he could confide in her. They were a team after all… where they not?

Angel heard her breath catch and noticed her cheeks redden… two of the many things he loved about her were the reactions she got towards him, what his presence did, his kisses, and his touch. There were so many delicious sounds that he could make her body make and he'd deprived himself from all of them.

Liza felt her eyes burn with unshed tears but she tried to remain strong as there was business to handle… "I have to go Angel…" she practically pled. She couldn't do this right now… plus she _was_ really upset at him. He couldn't just come and make puppy eyes at her for then everything to be just fine and dandy.

He turned her body to make her look at him… his smoldering gaze holding to her honeyed sad eyes. He picked a strand of her velvety hair to place it behind her ear and he leaned to kiss her on the cheek. The action making her body quiver; before he pulled back he murmured…

"I need you to trust me okay…?" his breath on her skin sending shivers down her back as he continued speaking softly, but drawing away… "Remember the promise I made to you…" he'd now picked up her left hand, rubbing his thumb over her wedding band.

Liza was about to respond when Illyria came to the door… "Car's here Isis…"

She quickly nodded and left Angel's side without a word… before Illyria followed close behind, a knowing look passed between Angel and her. He gave her a nod that she swiftly returned and left.

Well this hadn't gone as good as he'd expected but at least she'd heard him and hopefully, believed him.

/

Illyria, to everyone's surprise, had adjusted more than well… in fact, she was filled in on the plan he was currently working on with Wesley, Gunn, Spike, and Lorne. Wesley and he had decided to leave Fred and Liza in the dark, but Illyria not necessarily being powerless… they had taken on board on their side per her request.

Gunn had been spending all of his time with her making sure she adjusted to this realm appropriately and eventually, he'd confessed his idiotic mistake with the sarcophagus.

They hadn't been too rough on him but they had made their displeasure known. He'd been the one to ask Angel to give the red head a chance the day he'd brought her in, and Angel had told him that she'd be _his_ responsibility… Which he more than gladly accepted…

The rest of the guys could see the glimmer in his eye of his attraction for her, which they'd warned him… she probably didn't know how to love like a human would, but he didn't seem to care as long as he got to be close to her.

Illyria was smart… weird, but smart. Whenever they had free time she would ask Gunn to take her to the library or let her browse on the computer. It was how she'd come more connected to earth and society, so when she wasn't busy learning, planning, or plotting, then her job was to play bodyguard to Liza and Fred, though more to Liza not that she was defenseless, but it was the fear in Angel that drove him to do that. Especially like today, that he was well aware of the fact that she was leaving the 'somewhat' protection of the office.

Angel had been told that Isis had protested Illyria's hovering, but after being told Angel had insisted on it… she'd done nothing but agreed reluctantly. And that is how this new look of amicable business… had crossed between them. Adding more power to them with her on their side…

/

Liza swallowed thickly as she tried to concentrate on the business deal she needed to handle. But how could she… how dare he just show up to her office and try, well not try- but effectively made her weak at the knees for him…

She was pregnant… and he didn't know… and unless things changed and he told her what was going on, then she wasn't telling him anything herself. Three people knew… Ilona, Christy, and herself…

"How's the child bearing going…?" Illyria voiced.

Okay… maybe four people knew… "I don't know what you're talking about…" she deflected.

"Sure you do…" she insisted, "You think that you'd be able to hide something like that from _me_…?" she paused gazing firmly, "It's written all over your face…"

Liza looked away; then stared back clear displeasure on her features…

"Don't worry…" she rolled her eyes, "I won't tell him…"

She raised her chin more determinedly waiting for more…

"Or anyone…" Illyria huffed crossing her arms, "you happy…?"

"Very…" Liza gazed at her 'cousin'… she seemed different and fitting. These last couple of days she had actually enjoyed her company, though she still felt she couldn't trust her.

/

"Hey you…?" Wesley said going inside the office of the woman he'd come to love more than life itself.

Fred looked up at him skeptically… he thought that he and the guys were being very slick, but she knew there was something going on that they were not telling her. Not only that, but she'd discovered that she wasn't the only one. When Liza had asked her to dinner one night, she'd let it slip that Angel had been gone most nights.

Wesley, on the other hand, was coming home with her but unknown to him… he didn't possess the ability to lie believeably; at least, not to her.

"Hey back…" she'd smiled innocently at him, while going back to her microscope.

"I got you something…" he sauntered proudly towards her, setting a plane ticket on the lab table, then sliding it her way.

She picked up the ticket… "A ticker to visit my family…?" she beamed happily. But wait a minute, just one and in less than three days…

"Where's yours…?" Fred narrowed her glance at him.

"I'm gonna meet you there, there is just something I gotta do but I figured you may want some family alone time before I decide to crash the party…"

"How thoughtful…" she said sarcastically, "now are you going to tell me what this is really about or am I going to have to find out on my own…?" she said turning to face him, hands poised on her hips.

Wesley tried to play it off, "I don't know what you're talking about… can't I do something nice for the woman that owns my heart?"

"Sure you can…" Fred stated, going back to her work… "I guess this means I'll have to figure it out on my own…" she looked up again, "and I _will_… figure it out…"

"I'll see you when you're ready to go in a little bit then…?" he questioned ignoring her statement… already heading for the door.

"No…" she voiced, "I'll be going to my house tonight…" if he wanted to play hardball then so could she. Who the hell did he think he was hiding stuff from her?


	16. Chapter 16

_**So... sorry for the delay... I gotta say that I'm very nervous about this chapter and how you guys will take it. I hope that the reaction is a good one so please review. :) Your words mean more than you can know... OKAY... *deep breath and...* here goes nothing...**_

_**Read and Review and thank you for reading. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Chapter 16

Angel came through the small apartment's door after being branded by the Circle of the Black Thorn. Now having met each of the most powerful members of the group, the plan could be set into motion.

"I know who they are…" Angel said in a serious tone of voice, walking in using a crystal while saying something in Italian to protect the room from unwanted eyes and ears.

"Who are they…?" Spike quickly approached. They were all aware that this might be a suicide mission, but had all agreed to go through with it regardless. The Senior Partners had been able to reign for far too long… and feeling tired of not actually doing something about it, as a _team_, they all decided to go to war even if… the result would be unfavorable for them…

Rounding a small kitchen table and setting a map of Los Angeles on it, Angel began his explanation to Wesley, Gunn, Spike, Lorne, and Illyria of where each of the members would be and how exactly to kill them.

"Tomorrow night we strike…" Angel told them.

Deciding that this might be their last night on earth, Angel told them all that they should go out and do what makes them happy because it could just be their last. They all nodded in understanding taking their leave…

Wesley and Angel were the last in the room remaining knowing that their job would be the hardest… how to convince their women to leave so that they could be safe. It was only then that Angel realized that if he died… he would never see Isis again and that thought alone, made him want to stake himself from the agony.

/

In one day she'd come back home to find most of her stuff packed and an airline ticket to see her aunt Ilona. What on earth was going on? She picked up the ticket from on top of the suit case and headed down to the office where she assumed Angel would still be…

An elevator ride down into his office and the room, was empty… it was a good thing that she'd brought her purse with her because she was going to go look for him, wherever the hell it was that he was hiding.

Liza was just pulling the door opened when a wave nausea took her making her slightly stumble on her feet. In front of her Fred had been about to knock on the door, but at noticing her loss of footing she reached out to her…

"Liza…" Fred took hold of her by the arms concerned, "are you alright…?"

Liza stared back at her alarmed friend with a weak smile as she thought_ if you only knew…_ she raised her hand indicating to give her a minute before she rushed to Angel's private bathroom to barf pretty much everything she'd had that day. Wiping her mouth clean and brushing her teeth, she grazed her tummy's slight bump with a caress as she thought to it… _oh my sweet baby, I hope that past this first trimester you'll stop giving me the nausea from hell._

As she stepped out from the small room, Fred was waiting there for her worriedly… "Are you okay, you didn't look so good…?"

"I'm Fine…" Liza smiled, "so what brings you to Angel's office…"

"The fact that as much as I've looked and though I know something is up with all of them…" she sighed, "I have found nothing… I wanted to confront Angel…"

"You and me both…" Liza glanced at the ticket in her hand, "He's trying to ship me away and I don't know why…"

"You too…?" Fred stood up to walk to her appalled taking a look at the ticket.

"Yeah…" she confirmed, "Why, did Angel…?"

"No Wesley 'surprised' me…" she quoted in the air, "that he wanted to do something nice but I know better…"

"Well they're stupid…" Liza voiced.

"Tell me about it…" Fred said giving her a smile.

"Who's stupid…?" Angel and Wes walked in asking.

"The both of you…" they returned with a glare.

Angel and Wesley weren't dumb; they could practically see them fumes rising from their women as they both turned to their presence, crossing their arms like they were ready to raise hell.

Hormones rising from the turmoil that Isis was feeling towards her husband made an odd calmness filled her expression as she strutted her way to Angel with her mind made up, while she pressed the smallest of kisses on his lips… she then took a step back to blow from her hand into his face as he practically fell back from falling into slumber.

"What did you do…?" Wes called panicking catching Angel to set him on a couch, right before Isis turned to do the same thing to him.

Fred gasped, "What did you do to them…?"

"Just knocked them out for a bit…" Liza said shrugging… she'd never used her powers against him, but seeing as he was being uncooperative. He left her no choice… "There's something I have to do…?" she told her, "Could you keep an eye out and wake me should someone be coming…?"

"Sure, but if you find something out…" Fred began. Everyone was aware that Liza had magical powers but no one ever questioned what she was or what she could do. She'd done plenty to help and that had been all that mattered in the end.

"Don't worry… I'll tell you…" Liza confirmed walking over to Angel while taking his hand in hers. She closed her eyes to concentrate and bring him into her mind in sort of day like dream.

_At first Isis had focused her mind on a place that made her happy which had been her parents home, but wanting to feel like she could get some air… she focused on a park that her mother use to take her to while in Rome…_

_Angel looked around disoriented; the last thing he remembered was talking to Isis before he fell asleep. Where? He had no idea… but then he recalled his wife using that nifty little gift to MAKE him go to sleep…_

_Being able to hear his thoughts so he couldn't hide anything, Isis approached him saying, "It's your own fault for acting the way you've been acting…" she accused._

_Angel stiffened, "How safe are we…" he looked around, "here! Wherever the hell here is…"_

"_We're safe…" she returned._

_Angel grinned like she hadn't seen in him do in weeks, making haste to take her in his arms… she stopped him raising her hand._

"_I'm mad at you…" she informed him, "the last thing I want is for you to touch me…"_

_He gazed not at all surprised… a hurt undertone in his eyes that almost broke her resolve and heart._

"_What are you up to…?" she dove in before she lost her nerve._

_Angel opened his mouth to say something when she added, "And don't you __**dare**__ lie to me!"_

_He shook his head… I can't tell you about the Black Thorn… he thought._

"_What about the Black Thorn…?" Isis questioned, looking into Angel's stunned eyes._

"_How did you…?"_

"_You can't hide anything from me here so better… spill…" she threatened._

_He closed the distance between them then, she reluctantly allowed him to hold her by the hands as he told her… "I need you to trust me and just go to Rome…"_

"_That's not going to happen…" she told him fiercely, "and if you make me… I won't want anything to do with you ever again…"_

_Her comment he could tell had made her flinch emotionally because of her love for him. But he could also tell that she was determined to see her decision through._

"_I know who they are…" Isis told him honestly, "It's part of the history that I must know of this world… It is my job to be aware of all the malevolent evil and in what form they are all over, so what do you want with them…?"_

_One look into his eyes as what he thought rang in her brain made her gasp in horror…_

"_Their death?" she slipped out of his touch, "Are you out of your mind… have you any idea of the hell you'd release on earth?"_

"_It's the only way…" Angel pleaded defeated._

"_NO… you don't understand even the half of what that will do…"_

"_It's being done regardless Isis Elizabeth…"_

"_Don't call me that…"_

"_Fine…" he whispered getting close to her again, "I need you gone babe… please…"_

And with a slap across his face… Isis took them out of their magical induced dream. She'd had enough time to probe around in his brain to know what they had planned. This had terrible idea written all over it, but seeing as he wasn't going to change his mind… then she was going to have to help him.

"Jesus, Isis!" Angel woke with his cheek stinging with pain.

Fred ran to Liza's side, her eyes piercing with wanting to know information… she gave her a small nod to follow her into her unused condo so she could tell her friend what their group of friends were up to. She hated that she wasn't better prepared as everything was to unfold in one day… but she was going to lose him and she wasn't going to allow this world to go to hell…

Wes woke up groggily to Angel's side and didn't like the look on his face… "What happened?" he quickly questioned.

"She knows everything…" Angel said, "and I'm sure she's telling Fred everything right about now…"

"God…" Wes put his head in his hands, "What are we going to do…?"

"Continue as planned and hope for the best…" he returned as he stood to make some final arrangements before they all walked into their death tomorrow night.

/

Getting off the phone with her hand trembling… Buffy set the receiver down. One of her informants had told her that Angel was bringing apocalypse to LA by tomorrow night. But that is not what had her shaking with emotion and an anger she hadn't felt in years. The reluctant informant had warned her the moment she decided she would get on plane to go help him to tell her something that stopped her heart…

_He's married Buffy…_ the words had rung, and she hadn't known what to say. She didn't even know if she should be being that she was still with The Immortal, but she couldn't deny what she'd felt at the destructive words of her first love.

She managed to get out that she'd sent troops, but she'd been vague about her participation. Staring out the window of her small apartment… she considered whether it would be a good idea to go or not…

So now what…?


	17. Chapter 17

_**Hello wonderful readers... So I had wanted this to be the last chapter but it turns out that it is super long and I. AM. NOT. DONE :) SO... this is the chapter before the end... the epilogue. I am VERY excited about this chapter because I really like the way it came out. Hope you like it too and thank you SO much for your support with this story.**_

_**As always, thank you for reading, and please... share your thoughts with me! ^_^ I l**__**ove to hear them!**_

* * *

Chapter 17

Liza was taking a hot shower to try and relieve some of the stress that today held for her, as she'd considered the possibility that one or all of them might just die. She shuddered under the hot spray… she couldn't think like that. And it was her job as _his_ wife to support his decisions even if they were completely idiotic.

She thought about that for a moment… that wasn't true. For weeks she had noticed that something had changed within him. She just wished that he would have told her. She understood that he was trying to protect her but still. She would have supported him… just like she was going to now…

If his soul needed this to feel rejuvenated in this life then she was with him one hundred percent.

She ran her hands through her conditioned hair as the stream of water seemed to caress her skin kneading the tenseness from her muscles.

Angel had walked into his penthouse in search of his wife luckily hearing the water running in the bathroom. He felt his body on edge as the image of his beautiful woman under that spray of water… completely naked filled his mind making extremities of his manhood become alive.

He groaned… it had been way too long and seeing as he was going into battle tonight. Maybe… just maybe, Isis wouldn't reject his need for her. He watched the steam seeped from under the door as he opened it slowly… the crystal shower door was completely fogged up but he could see the outline of the figure of the woman he loved.

If it was possible, his pants were keeping him painfully constrained from his need. She seemed too engrossed in her mind so he took the opportunity to undress… sliding the door open… and pressing himself to her back as she gasped in surprise.

Liza's first instinct was to panic but when she turned around to find the almost smoke black gaze of her husband filled with desire, she smirked beside herself. His throbbing erection was nudging at her belly playfully as he waited for her to do or say something, his lips shaping into a seductive grin…

Heat coursed through her skin as she pulled him by the neck to her… taking his lips with hers in desperation. She _needed_ him… in every way possible so she tried to pour that into their frantic kiss.

Angel could hear her heart drum loud in his ears and he could have sworn he heard two heart beats instead of one he was so aroused. Perhaps it was just an echo, he reasoned. He allowed his hands to travel down her soaked body… taking special care of her, somehow fuller, breasts… while one of his hands got lost between her thighs.

"_Oh…"_ she whimpered, _"I've needed you… so, much…"_ she breathed against his neck as she bit and nipped him with need.

Angel groaned at her words, _"Me too…"_ he said plunging his fingers more forcefully into her core…

"_God that feels… feels…"_ and she dug her nails into his skin as he felt her muscles tighten around his fingers and her euphoric release course through her veins in delicious delight.

The smell of her arousal with watching her come apart made him painfully aware of how much he needed to get lost between her honeyed folds… so he pinned her to the tiled wall making wrap her legs around his hips… grinding his erection against her hip bone as he took rough possession of her lips.

"_Ummm…"_ she moaned into his mouth at feeling his member on her skin and his desperate pants.

"_Do it…"_ she told him, _"I want to feel you in me…"_

Her heated words were all the invitation he needed as he picked her up against the wall more comfortably from her behind as she reached between them to put him in place…

Angel thrust into her sensitive warmth… his growls mixing with her passionate murmurs of craving. He loved how she wrapped around him like velvet and he almost felt himself expand from bliss. Liza writhed for him to move until he finally began to pull out and pound into her in slow confident strokes… over and over again…

Lips colliding with one another… licking and nipping at any part of skin they could reach, Angel continued to plunge increasingly needing for that wonderful oblivion to fill them both. He pushed one her legs higher for better penetration… eliciting a pleasure cry from her lips as he felt her convulse… he stroked her tightening muscles rapidly feeling himself jerk from the strength of his spilling cream.

Together they drove each other to ecstasy riding out the last of the waves from their shaking bodies. They smiled in between catching their breath before taking each other's lips once more. Weeks of pent up yearning had led them up to this essential moment.

Legs still wrapped around his taught body while they were connected in the most intimate of ways… he whispered…

"Can you forgive my idiocy of not have shared…" he glanced aside remorseful, "_this_ with you sooner…?"

"Always…" she caressed his face cupping it for a tender kiss.

It was then that he noticed her heart beat was erratic from their tryst but there seemed to be another… just faintly in the distance, calm… gentle…

Angel opened his eyes wide and Liza quickly knew what he'd discovered… he stepped back slipping out her, setting her on her feet, while placing his hand on the bump that he had somehow missed while staring at her with questioning eyes…

Liza nodded with a loving smile as he was swiftly assured… HE was going to be a father… _A FATHER…_

He was about to say something when she shook her head in 'no' looking absentmindedly upwards, and he understood. Better keep this quiet, but he couldn't help the enormous smile that filled his face. He felt his heart pang in pain that she hadn't told him sooner but he knew that if she hadn't then she must have had a good reason.

Except now… he was more than petrified at losing her or himself because either way… he'd be losing two of the greatest gifts of his life. A woman who he loved more than _anything_ considering he had given up on love and the now new opportunity to be there for his child from the very beginning up to everything that came with it.

"Don't worry…" Liza told him knowing what he was thinking.

"But…" Angel began to protest but she quieted him with a kiss as she reached for the loofa to try and pamper some of his worries away.

/

Stepping out into the streets of LA Buffy took a deep breath in regards to what she was about to do. You'd think that after SO many battles she would stop getting nervous, but that wasn't the case. Every single time she would still get scared down to her core… She sighed, she had sent her troops which she assumed had already taken their place as to where this all might unfold, but she told no one that she was coming.

There was no way that she would have left Angel to deal with this in his own but there was no need for him to know that she was there. He'd saved her life once hiding in the shadows not making his presence known and she was going to the same. She didn't want to have to pretend that she was okay with him moving on when she wasn't, so it was better this way.

Buffy raised her hand to hail a cab… when the yellow vehicle stopped before her she took another shuddering breath and slipped in. She figured nightfall was when he'd go to battle… something's changed but she was sure this wasn't one of those things.

/

_**Nightfall…**_

It seemed like Mother Nature was well aware of the plans for tonight and she wasn't happy about it as the dark clouds hovered over the city and lightning seemed to crackle threateningly as the old Angel Investigations' Team dispersed into battle…

In walked Gunn into Senator Bruckner's recruiting head quarters with a sly grin on his face as he threw a hatchet against the woman's head killing her instantly… The vampires swiftly showed their demonic face as he and Fred began their attack…

"Ready…?" Gunn questioned his ex-girlfriend not liking that she'd come into the plan because he didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Ready…" Fred confirmed with a flame thrower in her hands as she and Liza had discussed that her being human and Gunn as well, that they should work together to take care of each other.

Fred had argued that she was worried about who Wesley was up against, but Liza explained that she'd take care of it… sort of giving her some peace of mind.

/

Illyria made quick work of her target Izzy and his circle of friends by obliterating the vehicle in which they were parting. She knew her job was going to be easy and she wanted to get it out of the way so she could run of to Gunn's side worried sick that something may happen to him… so soon she's off…

/

Wesley was about to be struck by Cyrus Vail in a deadly blow when Isis walked in, in all her Egyptian glory, freezing the attack _and_ Wesley in the process, to shield him from _who_ she _is_, by throwing an orb of fire against the elder demon… it consumed him from the inside out until he was nothing but dust in the wind.

Unfreezing Wesley as he fell to the floor, Liza headed forward to make sure that he was okay…

"What'd just happen…?" He questioned feeling slightly sore from his fight.

"I helped you out a little…" she grinned, "Come on… can you move? We need to get moving and meet with the rest of the team…"

Wes gave her a faint nod as he stood up forcefully, leaving their completed target behind…

/

Having had rescued the baby from Fell Brethren… Spike fought his way out of their lair delivering the child safely to his mother's arms. He took a quick glance at the time and he knew he needed to meet Lorne for the destruction of Sahrvin's Clan.

/

Lorne made sure that he was fully armed as he waited for Spike to show… two minutes later Spike nudged him on the shoulder while calling out excitedly…

"Ready to get this party started green face…?" Spike grinned.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" and as the last of his words left his lips, they burst through the doors taking swings and slicing here and there till the only two figures standing were he and the vampire himself. They took a moment to make sure that they had completed their job glancing at each other momentarily before running off to meet with the others on their agreed location.

/

Hamilton felt his anger fume as the mere sight of a vampire like Angel, who successfully deceived him, realized that he hadn't been able to stop him from poisoning Duke Sebassis. His face became a mask of calmness as he strode towards the Vampire that had just informed him… that he had known… his battle would be with _him_.

Angel felt himself being hurled through a wall as the beginning of their blows began to unfold… faintly hoping that they would all make it out alive.

/

Liza's mind swirled with uncertainty as they were on their way to the Hyperion. She had practically begged Angel to let her fight by his side but he had had his mind set on telling her no, asking her to help the others if she was going to stay and fight.

She had agreed less than unhappy but he had assured her that he would meet them at the hotel. She kept her mind trying to remain positive with the whole situation. At least she knew her, Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Illyria had all made it out alive as they'd ran into each other as they were on their way to check for each other's survival.

Together they had stolen a car as they rushed through the empty streets of LA back to the Hyperion…

"We're here…" Gunn voiced.

They quickly stepped out of the car to hear the sky roar again as water seemed to practically come out of nowhere, drenching them before they made it out to the front garden of the hotel. Spike and Lorne stood there equally soaked…

Spike was about to tell the team about their _surprise_ visitors inside the hotel when Angel ran to their side quickly reaching for Isis to pull her in of an _'I'm so glad to see you'_ kind of a kiss… as she responded with that same fervor.

Connor cleared his throat loudly as he voiced… "Hate to break up the party dad, but we have a bit of a problem…"

Angel pulled back taking a second to gaze at everybody's face to make sure no one was missing… luckily, no one was. He then looked to the sky as a dragon seemed to approach far in the darkened skies followed by loud cries of battle as if an army seemed to approach.

"Care to explain _this_ big guy…?" Angel heard Faith's voice come from behind making him turn around as an army of girls trailed to her back, fanning out around her stepping out from the hotel.

"What are you…?" he began to voice what his whole team was thinking, "Buffy…" he realized.

"Slayers…" Faith called to the girls behind her with a smug grin, "Meet the AI team… Team, meet the slayers…?" she introduced.

"Slayers?" Wes yelled through the blaring rain as the first demons began to attack them…

"Long story…" she yelled back as she ran into the stampede of demons coming their way… "Ladies…" she added and you could hear the cries of battle as they all dove into danger… head on.

/

Buffy's golden hair dripped as her body was soaked to the skin from the force of the rain… gazing, from the top of the roof of the Hyperion into ground were Angel, his team, Faith, and her slayers… rushed into battle…

A detached expression on her face as she was about to make her move when she heard someone from behind…

"Excuse me…?" Liza exclaimed, "Who are you?"


	18. Chapter 18 Epilogue

_**Finally :) I was able to post it... I have no idea what was up last night that I couldn't but anyways... here we go. This is it! This is the last chapter to my story.**_

_**Thank you SO Much for giving this story a shot ^_^ I feel very grateful and thanks go out to you from the bottom of my heart. This chapter I dedicate to you all reading this story ;) So enjoy! Don't Forget to Share Your Thoughts with Me!*!*!**_

* * *

Chapter 18- Epilogue

Buffy had seen the weather come to a raging anger and she felt like she could almost relate. She had sighed as she made it to the top of the Hyperion… ready to make her stand. She was sure everything would be okay until the moment that Angel appeared…

She felt her chest tightened though what she had not expected was for him to run to a woman to sweep her into his arms to kiss her like it was the end of the world. She turned away… perhaps it was… this whole new slayer power situation had been a blessing as much as it had been a curse. Like now… with great sight and listening capabilities, she'd seen Angel kiss his wife and heard some kid… call him dad…

What else had changed?

She had just pushed her feelings aside as the enemy seemed to near… when she'd heard…

"Excuse me…? Who are you?" a brunette woman called; the same one that had been in Angel's arms. She began to wonder how long she'd been contemplating that, that she hadn't heard her near.

Buffy had turned around slowly to face her… wedding band clearly visible and an amazingly odd glow about her that Buffy felt like she could have cried.

"A friend…" she returned with a sad smile as she saw the dragon approach by the building… she ran on the roof to grab momentum before she jumped into the harsh air and onto the Dragon's back.

Liza stood there for a moment taken by the blonde woman… completely forgetting the whole point of her being there, until the sky thundered over her. It was a moment of _that's right_… gotta close the rift in the dimension pouring out demons like they're just raining out of the sky.

She took her position close to the edge of the roof… raised up her hands towards the sky as she began chanting to close up that pesky portal opened clearly by the Senior Partners.

/

With the weather being so musky… Liza would have thought that the fight had really gone on forever. That hadn't been the case though…

They of course had gone into battle the rest of the night and continued until sunrise… but the moment the sun had started to break through the clouds, it felt like it was all over. Sure she was exhausted out of her mind; she knew she had extra exerted herself with the closing of the dimension, the casting spell for the rest of the population to not see the reality of what was going on, and then heading down towards the team to help fight the Demons.

When all the evil spirits realized their luck was about to change… they had all made themselves scarce running away and hiding down in the city tunnels. The AI team wasn't going to just let them live now that they were out of sight, but at least for the current day… they were going to let them go and then do what they did best…

Hunt…

Angel had made it clear to everyone to go burn the visible bodies of those fiends that could be seen by small human population that remained… and then after that… they had gone back to the Hyperion to fall to rest wherever they could find an empty spot. Angel hadn't been to the Hyperion in a really long time, so when he walked inside… it looking like a real _in use_ high quality hotel… he began to worry that he perhaps no longer owned it.

It was then that Liza had enlightened him by telling him that she knew that after this war… they most likely weren't to be going back to W&H to live, so she had had the building prepared to be used like it was meant to. Her aunt had given her names of great contacts, magical and otherwise, that had come to shape building to tip top shape like the first day that it had been constructed.

The only place that Liza had decided to change had been the top floor, and that had been to make it into a several bedroom penthouse for them… knowing that this was probably the place that Angel would want to live in.

Everyone had been so grateful with her because the moment they had all walked into the hotel… Liza had handed them all keys to different rooms in which they took advantage of the new pluming taking unnecessarily hot showers and made use of the bath robes and simple clothing she'd had brought in.

This had been the best rest after the aftermath of a battle that all of them had ever had…

/

Buffy was just leaving the scene when Faith saw her… "Buffy…" she called softly.

The blonde senior slayer turned around to face her then… "Hey…"

"Where are you going…?" she questioned gesturing to the Hyperion for her to come inside.

She smiled faintly and shook her head in response…

"Is it because of…?" Faith began asking, but stopped the moment Buffy had raised her pain ridden eyes, "I get it…" she walked to her friend taking her in a hug… "Where will you go then…?"

"My father's home should be empty and I have scheduled a flight out to Cleveland tomorrow…"

"The hell mouth…" Faith voiced.

"Yeah…" Buffy nodded pulling back from her embrace, "You know the fun never ends for us lucky girls…"

"I can take the girls and meet you there the moment they've rested enough…"

"No…" Buffy assured softly giving her a grin, "You know you want to stay here and Angel's going to need you to rid this town of the Demons that escaped…"

"That's not true…" she weakly disagreed.

Buffy tilted her face to the side as if saying 'yeah right'… but she sighed and said, "Look… if something happens and I DO really need you… you'll be the first one I'll call…"

"Promise?" Faith questioned.

"I promise…" she answered as they stood there for a couple of moments both gazing at the Hyperion building in front of them as a taxi cab came near by. They both said their goodbyes and Buffy was off.

/

_Four years later…_

Liza was standing on the balcony of their large penthouse home rocking back and forth her beautiful three year old daughter, Isis Neesa Abigail O'Connor-Callahan. Poor of her daughter she thought momentarily… such a long name of great significance. Angel had chosen Abigail because of his mother… she had chosen Neesa for a variation of her name and her aunt had told her that her name had to include Isis, because most first born girls… always carried the gene of the goddess herself. As her daughter closed her eyes… she reminisced on the couple of years.

The city of Los Angeles had been slowly rebuilding since that fretful night. More than half the population had taken off like scared animals that could sense that something bad was coming… but as time had gone by, people had made their return and you would see people on the streets more and more everyday.

Faith had stuck around with some of the girls to go on patrol at night… seeking out those Demons that had made a stealthy escape. In all reality Liza loved having her there… noticing that she was like a sister to Angel and _now_… an aunt to Abby. She had made it perfectly clear that she would be the _only_ one, aside from her father, that would be teaching the slayer how to fight, because _yes_… Angel and Liza had come to find out that her foreign slayer dreams from once upon a time had been because she was going to have a daughter that was going to be a slayer.

Being that Faith explained that everyone that could be one WAS one now that they had unlocked that power… their daughter had founded very funny to break off some of the wooden bars of her cradle making them turn to stainless steel for her bed. She was a more than strong little girl when she wanted to be and for that Angel was more than grateful.

Angel feared the day that he may have to protect her against males, but knowing that she would be able to hold her own in the future… gave him immense peace of mind.

"What are my two beautiful women doing…?" Angel broke through her thoughts as he came up behind her to hug her carefully as he noticed a sleeping Abby in her arms, "Sorry…" he whispered as he placed small kisses on Liza's cheek… up to the curve of her ear… then down the slender part of her neck.

"_Hmmm_…" she shivered delightfully, that fire burning for him already lighting.

"How about we put Abby in her bed and you let me show you how much I love you…" he rasped out lustfully.

"We don't have time…" she said trying to control her body's reaction, "our friends will be here any minute…?"

But Angel was already scooping Abby from her arms to take her to her room…

"We'll be quick…" he hovered over her lips briefly, while winking walking away saying "I promise…"

Liza knew that was a lie but she could never say no… least to all him. Seeing him under the sun still shocked her half to death… but they'd come to realize soon after the **fight** one morning that his heart began to beat and that the sun caused him no harm. He'd gotten his wish of becoming human though not at all weak… his powers remained as did his strength. Even aging the Oracles had told him would be optional and something that she and Angel had yet to discuss.

He was soon back with a grin stretching his lips… no attempt to hide his carnal hunger for her as he strode her way… "Have I mentioned how much I'm loving this dress on you…?" he didn't let her answer as he captured her lips in a greedy kiss… letting his tongue roam her mouth fully.

She could do nothing else than to moan into his mouth with desire… gasping… as she pulled her body closer to his, feeling the hard length of his erection grind to where she already needed him most.

"No you haven't…" she said.

Angel had made quick work of her simple sundress… walking her up to their bed not missing a beat of their kissing… as she smoothly slid his shirt off and went right down to work on his belt…

In no time, Angel had Liza pinned to the bed and settled between her thighs hearing her groan as he probed with his fingers into her folds; Liza ghosting her hand over his rigid manhood leisurely. Bringing her to the brink of ecstasy while showering her body with open mouthed kisses… he replaced his fingers with his steeled shaft… Liza crying out in utter pleasure the moment he surged into her.

"_Oh, Angel_…" she cried as her muscles tightened on him from the wonderful intrusion filling her insides.

Loving the way she fell apart for him and now deeply embedded in her… he pumped in and out of her… stroke after stroke, quickly building her back up as he himself reached that body shattering crescendo.

"_Isis_…" he grunted out as he pumped more forcefully into her dripping core… nibbling her lobe as she pumped him dry of all he had. Moments after, they laid momentarily in each other's arms as they finally decided to redress for the day ahead.

"Daddy, daddy…" Abby cried out from bed… Both parents giggled at their daughter's perfect timing and lack of being able to remain asleep during nap time. Liza made a move to go get her, but Angel stopped her taking her into a hug… while whispering to her lips…

"I'll go…" he pressed his lips lightly to hers, "I love you… so much…" he said sincerely.

She pressed her lips back nibbling lightly his lower lip while saying, "I love _you_… probably more than you…" with a faint remark from him of impossible, she saw her husband off to grab their daughter. She had her dress already in her hands when they both came prancing back in… her giggling in his arms.

"Arms up baby girl…" Liza asked to put on her dress, but she furrowed her eyebrows already ready to be difficult… "Abigail O'Connor…" she said more firmly and noticed her daughter give her daddy the puppy eyes…

You could tell her husband visibly melted as he began to speak, "Princess…"

"There will be no dessert for you if you don't get in your dress…" Liza warned. The three year old may not have known much vocabulary, but she definitely understood and knew how to get her way, most of all with her father.

As Abby raised her hands in the air to be dressed… Liza glared playfully at Angel's lack of being able to tell his daughter No. She played him like an instrument and he let her. He gave his wife that heart melting grin as he shrugged and she rolled her eyes… _yeah, that's where her daughter got it from_. The three of them already dressed; headed to the elevator to take it down to the event hall.

/

Faith had kept pestering Fred and Wes for the reason to have to have a big dinner for their very much big news. She felt like she had a pretty good idea as to what it was going to be, but she still wanted to know now…

"No…" Fred told her, "You're just going to have to wait like everyone else…"

"Fine…" she huffed unsuccessfully as the rest of their guests arrived.

Gunn and Illyria made their entrance in the dinner, after the battle… Illyria had requested of Gunn to teach her how to be romantically involved because she wanted to be that with him. Lorne had arranged for the dinner they'd be enjoying this evening and loved that he could go back and focus on what he loved to do most. Plan, entertain, and sing…

Spike had made his presence known pretending not to care as always, but knew that these days… he and Faith had been spending more than enough time together both pretending that they weren't actually dating even though it was clear to all that they were.

Connor then walked into the dining hall as well with a pretty girl by his side… one of the slayers that had stuck around with Faith by the name of Clara. It seemed things were very serious with them so they'd welcomed her as part of the group. Christina and her husband walked right on in becoming part of the AI team as well… almost completing the team.

"Okay everyone…" Fred announced standing from their rectangle table, "We're just waiting for…"

"Hey guys…" Angel announced…

"About time…" Fred chastised…

"Sorry…" Liza approached hugging her friend, "In all honesty it was Angel's fault…"

"Hey…" he called, "I didn't hear any complaining while I was…"

"They're not interest!" Liza filled in panicked as they all began to laugh at seeing her blush. Like they couldn't tell what the holdup had been.

"Anyways…" she said as the food and wine was brought in and Lorne joined the group… scooping away from Angel's arms his little munchkin that he adored as much as she did him.

"Wesley and I would like your full attention now…" Fred voiced. Just two years and a half ago they had married and had been trying to have a family…

"We're pregnant!" Wesley let out excitedly…

Fred scoffed turning to humorously glare at her husband as they all jumped out of their seats to go to the couple and hug them in congratulations. Cat being out of the bag and everyone engrossed with the news… they all began to eat and chatter away the somewhat normalcy that they had accomplished in the last three years. Abby was running around from family member to family member as she knew she had them all wrapped around her small delicate finger.

They were the closest thing to a family that they all had and they made it a point to get together as much as they could. They laughed, they talked, and they planned… there was no rest for the evil, so even when they were having fun… they managed to get in strategy about what was going on in the world.

Proud of his latest successful event, Lorne brought his surprise dish. He always had one as he experimented in his cooking… using the team as his ginny pigs. Angel had picked up two rolls from Lorne's tray and turned to feed it to Isis lovingly into her mouth…

She laughed at his antics of seduction and opened her mouth to allow him to feed her… she hadn't even finished closing her mouth on the fishy appetizer when a wave of nausea caused her to spit it out… holding the cloth of her napkin to her mouth as she tried to get it under control she wondered what the hell was wrong.

Angel looked into her eyes concerned… Liza tried to figure out why the feeling felt familiar and as if they'd both come to the same conclusion at the same time…

The lover's eyes locked… Angel grinned from what seemed like wall to wall as her lips curved into a nervous smile and she'd gasped…

_**~The End~**_


End file.
